Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to touch on the “RTÉ Investigates” programme broadcast last night and to put my views on it on the record. First, I totally condemn the treatment of those animals, particularly the transportation. There are laws that set out very strict criteria. If those laws were broken - and I believe they were from viewing the footage - there should be consequences. We have put legislation and regulations in place to make sure this does not happen but it has happened and something needs to be done about it.

Yet, as much as last night’s footage was really hard to watch, I believe there was no footage from any family farm in Ireland or any farm in Ireland. I am a dairy farmer. I farm at home with my mother, who is 74 years of age, and my wife. I milked cows with my two daughters last weekend. We are a traditional dairy farm. This is what we do for a living.

We use sexed semen on our farm. We will have no Friesian bull calf next year. This is how the industry is moving and it is moving very quickly. The issue is that 9% of the calf population that is exported is the Friesian bull calf. That is being dealt with by technology and farmers who are working really hard to move ahead of this curve. In many ways, they have moved ahead of it. Three years ago, the story was about the transportation of calves. Next year, the story will be about how sexed semen has changed this industry and how there has been a dramatic change in it.

I feel for the dairy farmer today. I feel for a farmer who works so hard. When calves are born, they are fed colostrum within two hours of the birth. That happens whether it is Christmas night or 10 o'clock in the morning. It does not matter. That is what happens on a dairy farm every day of the year regarding the care that is given to the animals. I would hate for the dairy farmer to be pigeonholed today as some kind of animal terrorist. If anything, they are ahead of the curve when it comes technology and they are doing so much to make sure that the footage we have seen last night does not happen.

I would welcome debate in these houses because I believe the story should be told. I am really passionate about this, a Chathaoirligh, and I apologise for speaking over my time.