Mr. Brian Rushe:

In respect of the national dialogue and the media, from a farmer’s perspective and in talking to and dealing with them every single day, many farmers feel they are being talked at and that they are, perhaps, not part of the conversation at times. When the debate becomes divisive, we are alienating people from the conversation in respect of something they have done their whole life. How is that wrong or what have they done? Most of the time, there is nothing wrong with that production system but it is just a slight change. Any time a farmer here is quoting the national herd size, that does harm to the debate because the average suckler herd in Ireland is 14 cows. It is a very low stock and extensive farm system, by and large, with those numbers. That is what is we have to be aware of. We need to move beyond the divisive nature of the debate and start including farmers. Stakeholder engagement is very important.

I agree with Mr. Coghlan there that when the debate is framed with one side or sector against the other, it might make good television but it does not move us on. I agree RTÉ has improved in telling our side of the story as well of late, but at times the divisive nature of the debate has set this conversation back more than it has brought it forward.