Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Has the Minister engaged with the ICBF, particularly in the past week when much of this has come to the fore? Some farmers bought 5-star bulls because they followed what the ICBF told them but those bulls are now 2-star or 3-star. This will have a significant impact on those farmers. I spoke to a farmer who lost more than €100,000 overnight. He had to tell his daughter she will not be able to go to college as the family will not be able to afford to send her there. That is the real-life impact of this decision. While 84% might sound good, 16% are at sea in the context of these changes. The cross-party committee was unanimous and united yesterday in its ask of the ICBF to pause the changes it has made to the index and to engage, as it ought to have done in the first place. There is little point setting up a stakeholder forum after the decision has been made. This is having real financial impacts on farmers. What specific engagement has the ICBF had with the Minister in the past two weeks?

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