Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with Senator Lombard that deer are out of control in certain parts of the country. A working group has been set up to examine how a cull can be organised. It needs to be done as a matter of urgency. Deer are appearing in significant numbers in places they were never previously seen.

On the reduction of milk supply, a significant number of farmers are exiting the business. From what I hear from people involved in co-operatives, that number will increase. The Cork marts are booked out for clearance sales for next spring. We have gone from a point where quotas were abolished and there was huge optimism. It is definitely the case that people are leaving. One of the biggest factors in that is the uncertainty. I can name five or six people in my area who have got out of it. Their herds were of a certain size and they were looking at having to contract their business as they had no successor. It was not for them. I say that not as a criticism but as a matter of fact. This is where we are at. Those farmers were in derogation, milking between 80 and 120 cows. If people are forced to contract that size of herd, depending on their age, they will ask whether there is a viable income in it for them. That certainly is a factor. We are going to see a fairly significant reduction in milk supply over the next couple of years due, first, to a lack of successors. That is the biggest reason farmers are getting out. There are a lot of complicating factors as to why successors are not taken on and uncertainty is one of them.

I ask Mr. Gleeson to address Senator Lombard's points, after which we will conclude.