Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not see any impact on factories here. The animals are still the animals. Their breeding potential and capacity to be productive going forward is the key here. That is why it is important that evidence continues to be gathered about the performance of animals so that, going forward, we are breeding the highest performing animals, and that continues to improve profitability. Obviously as you get more data and research, it is important to adjust the ratings so the profitability index shows which are going to be the most profitable. I am stepping in to make sure that the 16% of cows in the SCEP programme that drop down, though 84% will not be changing, retain their star rating for the duration of the scheme and the duration of them being in the herd.

Going forward, people will have to adjust their breeding plans. It will lead to some adjustment for some animals. Some will go down as well as some going up. The important thing is that we are following the data and evidence. That is what farmers would expect of us. If we were-----

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