Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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Some dairy farmers are now prepared to rear their calves to seven or eight weeks or to 12 weeks and a beef farmer or dry stock farmer will take them on. The 42-day test is a barrier to that, in that a calf has to be tested at 42 days if he is going to be moved after it. As Mr. Blake said, with live exports we are talking about an older calf and the fact that calf would have to be tested. We had an exemption during Covid when a calf did not have to be tested. There was something done where, when 95% of herds were clear they could be left and not tested if they were under 70 days or something like that. It would be of benefit to that.

In my view, trying to feed calves on a lorry or a ferry will not work. I cannot see it working in practice. Has the Department looked into the possibility of a walk-on, walk-off boat to carry calves to the Continent?