Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

So the areas in the red area that will now potentially be stuck in the 220 kg N/ha will be stuck with a welfare issue. The majority of us, if not all of us, put our heifers and cows in calf in April or May. They will be calving in January or February. I have spoken to agricultural advisers and they are absolutely hopping at the idea that now, with all the other schemes put in place, they have been given this task of liaising with the farmers to see how they can deal with this issue. There is a huge welfare issue now. What are we going to do? To give an example, the in-calf heifer trade has collapsed in the past two weeks. They are down €300 or €400 a head. You could not give them away. Nobody wants them. Guys are trying to get rid of them and they cannot take them. What is going to happen next January and February, when there will be the potential for in-calf cows and heifers that have no other avenue but to be slaughtered? What is the Department's view on that?