Mr. Pearse Kelly:

I assure Deputy Deering that our advisers on the ground who deal with farmers on a daily basis are hearing similar stories. Some people probably have a perception that this problem is confined to bulls, but the Deputy alluded to the bigger picture in this regard, which is that farmers are finding it difficult enough to get steers and heifers killed as well. Mr. Burke spoke about that as well. There can be problems with bulls over the age of 16 months, but the real concern is that the value of bulls which are approaching the 24-month age bracket can go off a cliff. They are considered to be old bulls, rather than young bulls, at that stage. Their price almost drops to cull cow levels. We are advising people with younger animals that there is an opportunity in that regard. When Professor Boyle was explaining his last couple of slides, he mentioned the advice that is being given at the moment. One of the options available to farmers is to castrate such bulls. We would not rush out to tell people to castrate all animals. People have relationships with factories that will still want bulls during the year. It is not necessarily the case that bulls are an absolute no-no. Bord Bia has suggested that between 20% and 25% of this year's national kill will probably still involve bulls. People need to step back and consider their options before they make rash decisions.