Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I suppose it would be remiss if I did not congratulate Mr. O'Toole on his appointment as well, just in case he feels I am taking the hump with him or something. I thank Bord Bia for attending and for the very detailed overview given. For the sheep farmers of Longford and the midlands, it would be remiss if I did not focus on sheep. I am always hugely impressed by the work Bord Bia does on Irish beef. Ever time I go to my local SuperValu, at least once per month, I am assailed by their 30% price reduction promotion. It is fantastic to see and it is clear that a lot of good work is being done. Sheep farmers may feel they are a forgotten component in marketing in Ireland. I appreciate that some work is being done internationally for them. Bord Bia would probably say it is not the case but I would make the argument that Bord Bia has abandoned sheep marketing in Ireland to concentrate on what I would consider cultural markets overseas. Would that be a fair assessment? Is Bord Bia taking the view that, as was rightly said in its overview, the consumption of sheep is now traditionally for an older market and for older people? There was an exceptional flurry during Covid-19 when people were doing more barbecues at home. We saw an increase in consumption of lamb by young people. Is that the case? Does Bord Bia have plans to revisit that? Would Bord Bia agree, at least in some part, that it has retrenched in terms of marketing sheep here and in the UK?