Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has asked three questions. On whether farmers were advised badly, I have never advocated a significant increase in the production of bull beef in Ireland. On all of the trade missions I have undertaken, particularly in the markets in which we sell beef in Europe, including the United Kingdom, people have been telling me since I became Minister that they want marbled beef, steer cattle primarily and heifers as opposed to bull beef. Many farmers made the economic decision to go down the route of producing bull beef because it suited their systems. They might have less land and may want to keep their animals inside for slightly longer. They will feed them more meal than they would otherwise do if they were grazing them using a grass-based system. This suits some farm structures. The problem is that 20% of our beef is now bull beef and the market is indicating that it wants something different. I still believe it is economically viable to produce bull beef, but if a farmer is producing young bull beef using a predominantly grass-based system, it is impossible to produce, as the Deputy states, 16 month old bull beef. Farmers have to make a choice to either intensively produce bull beef, using high protein meal, or to produce it using a grazing system, supplemented with meal. What needs to happen is a conversation between farmers who want to produce bull beef and the factories they will be supplying to ensure everybody is clear on what will be provided. The farmers who have done this have got a good price for their bull beef animals. The problem has been encountered by farmers who have produced animals without a pre-contract agreement with factories. They bring an animal approximately 22 months old to a factory-----

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