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

Regarding beef, as I said, we have consulted widely and we will have a plan in place that will be approved and, I suspect, available before a no-deal happens in order that people know what supports will be in place immediately, should that contingency be necessary, which I certainly hope it will not be. I assure other Deputies that our plans are not based on hope; they are based on putting detailed contingency arrangements in place that are funded to deal with all eventualities.

Regarding the bloodstock industry, and I think this is also the case with the movement of animals from South to North in a no-deal scenario, there will be challenges in protecting against the spread of disease, so the appropriate systems will need to be in place to ensure that the integrity of the herd in the Single Market, from a disease management point of view, is protected.

That will pose difficulties because we will not support checks on the Border. This is part of the conversation we are having with the European Commission about how we might be able to do that.

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