Mr. Brendan Gleeson:

I note the Chairman's comments. I will not make a commitment at this meeting. I have been knocking around the area of animal disease for a long time. When the Chairman was in a previous life back in 2001, I was dealing with other issues. There must always be a balance between what the taxpayer should pay in cases like this. To be frank, we have never had a scheme that covered all of the costs associated with a disease outbreak in any species, but we try to ensure that the taxpayer makes a reasonable contribution to people who are in difficult circumstances. What we have in this instance is a scheme that covers the full cost of reconstitution and the balance of the premium available. That is how matters stand now. I cannot commit at this meeting to change that, but the Chairman has made a case, one that he has made previously.