Mr. Michael Moroney:

Our role is predominantly to provide machinery services on farms. In doing that, sometimes there is a requirement, naturally, to provide advice as to how best those machinery services can be used. In any world where there is advice given, the advice may not always totally concur. If we take it that quite a lot of the technical development that has taken place in Irish farming, we would arguably say that the role of the contractor has been as significant, if not more significant, than many of the other bodies who are involved in farming because, let us not forget, that the role of the contractor is hugely dependent on the success of the farm business. If the farm business is not financially successful then the contractor is out of business. If the farm is not successful then other bodies that provide advice, though not intrinsically linked with the performance of the farm, then that does not affect their income, etc. That is why our linkage to farmer clients is so important and that connection is extremely strong. It is a connection in terms of advice but it is also a connection in terms of the financial viability of both sides of that equation.