Mr. Tim Cullinan:

I would just like to respond to Senator Murphy as I need to leave the meeting shortly. I apologise to the other witnesses. Senator Murphy is right. For the sheep sector in particular, the western seaboard from west Cork right up to Donegal is very important; in fact, it is essential in those counties, including in the Senator’s county of Roscommon, and that is why we were in Roscommon on that day. I understand, more than anyone, the impact on those counties.

The Senator made a very valid point around food security and human nutrition, which is very important. We need to find a balance. The Senator also made the point on farmers and the environment. There are no better people than farmers to look after the environment, in particular the sheep sector, which is a very low emissions sector. From that point of view, it is critical to get the funding to ensure we can keep this sector going. I will leave it at that as I am under pressure and have to attend another meeting.