Mr. Eoin Ryan:

It is substantially less effective than our approach. It is critical to have stakeholder buy-in in matters like this and to look at all the risks. Even if there was buy-in from the big beef herds, there are still many smaller herds which do not want to co-operate with a programme if no compensation is provided when animals are slaughtered.

We are aware we are working in an international context and support links with our international colleagues. Indeed, there is going to be a large meeting in Galway in 2020, which we are helping to organise, where all the TB programme managers from across the world will meet to discuss these issues. The particular areas relevant to Ireland, Wales, England, Northern Ireland and France are not quite the same as those relevant to other countries, but there are large areas of cross-over.

This is one of the ways in which we are continually trying to make sure that we are aligned with international best practice and the latest research. It is important to build those international links. Canada and the United States are free of TB, and we want to make sure that does not come up in any of our trade deals. China can have concerns, as can Australia and New Zealand. It is important to maintain good links with those countries. I can provide very limited information on Argentina and Brazil, but we do work in an international context. People often ask what the TB situation is when they are looking at animals or animal products, so it is important to engage internally with our own stakeholders and farming organisations. We also want to stay aware of our international colleagues, not just because it is nice to know what is going on but also because it has a direct relevance to making sure people have confidence in our trade. We have to ensure that trading partners believe our programme works, and if they know us, they can have faith that it works. That is how we are addressing that issue.