Mr. Pat McCormack:

The first question the Deputy asked is whether marts are at a disadvantage. The mart may not be at a disadvantage but the seller may be at a disadvantage in the mart because opportune purchasers ringside may have to consider the consequences if the animal has not been tested in the previous six months. This is because a farmer would otherwise be confined to feed lots or short-term finishers. There are challenges associated with that; make no mistake about it. It is not just confined to animals at 36 months and over. If you have a freshly calved heifer aged 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 or 29 months and you bring her to the mart, the same criteria apply to her, whether she is a dairy or suckler breed, in that she has to be tested. It is another layer of bureaucracy and, as I said previously, farmers will find themselves inspected and penalised. It has become complex and an inspection should be made in one direction or another, not this notion of-----