Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the witnesses to the meeting. Like previous speakers, I compliment them on the opening statement and the suggestions in it. Realistically, we could copy and paste it into a report. It limits the questions to be asked. We often have a field day here because the devil is in the detail. What we want to know is left out and we have to chase it. In this case, everything is here.

We are watching what is going on and I am familiar with some of the projects. I know Mr. Cronin mentioned a project and Mr. Ryan said Tirlán is doing the Slaney project. I invite them to comment on that and what it involves.

I have a bugbear when it comes to these things, however. The importance of this should sink in for people out there when they see that everybody is singing off the one hymn sheet and pulling together. How do we get even more people in and on board with what is being done, such as in the context of suppliers? I will give the very simple example of where a river or drain runs through five or six farms and the first farmer is a customer of Tirlán. He gets all that backup and advice and is doing everything by the book, and two farms down it is the same thing. However, let us suppose the lad in between is either a customer of a different co-op processor or he is beef or tillage and, for the purpose of conversation, he is a bit of a cowboy. In that case, the good work of everyone else along the river would be undone. How do we get everybody to buy into the great work that so many are doing? Until we do that, we will not see the results we require.

With regard to the derogation, we were in Brussels, as the Chairman said. Again, we are all on the one hymn sheet. I am an advocate of carbon linkage and we have a grass-fed model but, at the end of the day, the derogation is about water. The grass-fed model, the gasses and the excrement or whatever are secondary to water. It is going to be won or lost on water. On the ten-point action plan outlined by Mr. Mulvihill, if we had a magic wand or the Taoiseach came in here to say he had been watching the proceedings in his office, he agrees with the proposal and is going to grant permission for it to be put in place, could the witness put targets and a timeframe on the ten points as to what they can deliver, what they would deliver and when they would deliver with regards to the bigger picture going forward?

As has been mentioned, to see MII in with the dairy industry is probably unique in itself. While I am drifting slightly from the derogation, I have a question for Mr. Crammond. As I have stated on several occasions, the next biggest potential problem after the derogation is possible changes in Europe for live exports. That would be a major problem for the dairy sector and male calves, etc., going forward. We have representatives of both sectors present. Are any advances being made on the potential veal industry in Ireland? That would definitely go a long way to solving some of the problems if we are hit with a situation where we cannot export calves. If we send them out on the hook as opposed to the hoof, that would certainly gets over that problem. I ask that given that we have representatives of both sectors present. I know it does not relate to derogation but Mr. Crammond might comment on it. I will leave it at that for the moment.