Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Finally, Ms Meaney, you brought up the good work being done to try to promote the whole calf and beef sector. For the purpose of conversation, worst-case scenario, if what some of us have predicted this evening were to happen on the back of this or for whatever reason and it was not feasible to export the calves, where is the Department on an Irish veal industry? I know Bord Bia has done a feasibility study on it. Anytime we have discussed this topic, I, for one, have been an advocate of the merits of exporting on the hook as opposed to the hoof. If it were to come to that, is any work being done in the Department to potentially be able to back up, support or initiate a contingency plan which might involve the non-need to export the calves if we were to have our own fattening and veal industry? That would solve a lot of these problems because, as I said, there are not nearly as many issues exporting on the hook as opposed to on the hoof. Bord Bia, I think, has done some feasibility studies on this, but is there a policy in the Department yet to pursue that and maybe have some contingency plans in place? You plan for the worst, for the worst-case scenario, and hope for the best. Is this a policy we should adopt?