Prof Frank Mitloehner – UC Davis

“India and Brazil have more cattle than the rest of the world combined and while Brazil has made progress, India has not. Often times ... animals that are no longer productive are … just cut loose and for religious reasons no one will kill this animal, so she will live many more years, eat and emit but not produce.

“And now we have hundreds of millions of animals now doing that and that has a considerable environmental footprint.”

Doreen Corridan – Munster Bovine

“Whether it’s a replacement heifer or whether it’s a beef calf, the calf has to be of value and we have to add value to those calves because slaughtering calves is not acceptable to the consumer.”

Tom O’Dwyer – Teagasc Signpost Programme

“We have deliberately put farmers at the centre of our programme because farmers learn from other farmers. We can talk to one another but there’s plenty of research out there and I have experience of it that farmers learn from other farmers.”

Fergal Morris – general manager, MSD Animal Health Ireland

“Some of the biggest meat exporters are reducing their exports just at the time that the demand is increasing. I think in the next five years, food security could be a big issue and you could see a relaxing of rules if there is a shortage of meat, in particular. I think the politicians underestimate the impact this is going to have.”