Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It seems strange that five cattle had to be destroyed in the manner they were. However, contrary to what Senator Ó Clochartaigh stated, it was to prevent these cattle from entering the food chain; it had nothing to do with repossession. We all have our views on repossessions. Repossession should obviously only be used be a last resort when all other avenues have been explored. In this case, I understand the animals were destroyed because they had TB or some other related disease and meat from then had to be prevented from entering the food chain. Therefore it was a public health matter regardless of who made the decision. Let us not jump to conclusions.