Mr. Pat McCormack:

Deputy Carthy asked about dairy farmers with 100 cows and their ability to do something else or to make their incomes in some other way. Figures from the Teagasc profit monitors indicate, correctly, that there is nothing to replace cows on dairy farms. That is the reality for many of the more traditional family farm units and it is greatly concerning. We must have an agri-environmental scheme that is attractive to commercial farmers. It could in some way compensate in this regard, but only in some way.

Regarding anaerobic digestion, the co-operative movement is looking at Project Clover and the potential to use the by-products produced by different farms. The major issue with all these alternative approaches is access to the grid at a rate that is financially viable in future. The co-operative movement believes it can potentially use its product to drive its processes and facilities and bring down its energy costs. Mr. Enright might wish to comment more on this point. To answer Deputy Carthy's question in a nutshell, there is nothing to replace the 18 cows in the scenario mentioned. This situation does not have to involve dairy farmers with 100 cows. I do not want that message to be the one taken from this meeting. It could be a case, for example, of a man with 50 cows losing nine of them. That outcome could make him equally or more vulnerable.