Last night we were reminded of the excellent public service broadcasting work that RTÉ does. “RTÉ Investigates” spent five months researching and exposing cruel and inexcusable practices in part of our dairy sector. This is just one of the consequences of the unprecedented expansion since milk quotas were lifted in 2015 which has very predictably resulted in an explosion in the number of bull calves to 500,000 annually. It has resulted in them being treated as a waste product that is valueless and disposable.

Bull calves who survive beyond their first week and who are not killed in a yard or slaughterhouse routinely suffer terrible abuse. They are kicked, hit with sticks and thrown around by the tail, ears and legs at marts. When they are transported to Europe, they are packed into overcrowded lorries and endure journeys of more than 21 hours without even a drink of water.

How was this allowed happen? It is Government policy. Why have we had such an unsustainable expansion of dairy? It is Government policy. Why have cattle in dairy been bred solely for dairy efficiency and away from dual breeding? It is a direct result of Department policy.

When pursing this policy of intensification and so-called efficiency, what was the plan for the obvious increase in bull calves?

As a county, we have always been so proud of our agricultural sector. It is the perception of Irish agriculture abroad that makes it so valuable. People perceive Ireland as a country that has grass-fed cattle, looks after its animals and so on. This scandal risks destroying all that, and not addressing it risks it even more. Most farmers agree that this is damaging and that we cannot tolerate a situation in which thousands of calves are bred to suffer from their moment of birth.

I presume the Taoiseach accepts that we need to move away from live exports. There are some immediate steps we could take to do that. We need to incentivise the use of sexed semen. VAT on that could be removed. The Social Democrats had that proposal in our alternative budget last year. Obviously, however, a lot more than that needs to be done, including a re-examination of breeding practices where it is just for so-called efficiency. Clearly, existing laws on animal welfare need to be enforced. That, however, is not enough. Crucially, the Government needs to acknowledge that a change in approach from blindly driving the expansion and intensification of dairy is desperately needed, not least to protect the dairy sector but also to protect all other sectors, because it is that green brand that is so valuable to this country and our exports that has to be protected. Does the Taoiseach agree?

I strongly condemn any cruelty towards animals. The incidents in the clips shown by RTÉ were repugnant and have been widely condemned across the farming and dairy sectors. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has sought the footage used in the programme to commence an investigation into these events. As Deputy Cairns rightly said, the reputation of the dairy and beef sector rests on complying with high standards of animal welfare, and the vast majority of farmers, processors and other workers have a strong commitment to ensuring animals are not mistreated. For sustainable dairy into the future, it is vital that dairy farmers continue to ensure high levels of calf care on farms and that all those working in the supply chain continue to support high standards of animal welfare, particularly at marts and during transport. Any incidents of such cruelty should be reported to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on its animal welfare helpline, and I assure the House that it will take robust and timely actions in response to any evidence of animal cruelty.

In response to the Deputy's question, connecting animal cruelty to the expansion of the dairy sector per se is a little simplistic. Sadly, there are people who will mistreat animals no matter how many animals there are, and that is the truth of it, just as there are truckers who will break the road safety rules, no matter what they are, and there are truckers who breach the road safety rules while carrying all sorts of things, not just cattle. These are people who are breaking the law and going against Government policy. It is the Government's animal welfare policy and laws they are breaking and the Government's road safety laws and policies they are breaking. The people who perpetrated this are therefore absolutely against Government policy and against the laws we pass in this House.

As regards the issue of sexed semen, which the Deputy mentioned, there has been an increase in the use of sexed semen, which allows dairy farmers to select appropriate breeding strategies for good-quality replacement dairy heifers and to focus on dairy calf breeding for the rest of their calves. Sexed semen now makes up about 20% of artificial insemination use, and we would like to see that increase. We recently announced a world-first genotyping programme, with an investment of €43 million over five years, to genotype cows and calves. That will give beef farmers accurate information on the commercial beef value of the dairy-beef calves they buy and will encourage dairy farmers to make more informed and better breeding decisions to produce better quality dairy-beef calves.

The investigation is very welcome and everyone agrees on that, but it will do nothing to move away from live exports. The Taoiseach might call it simplistic to say these incidents have resulted from the expansion of dairy, but it is also basic maths. We have had a massive increase in the number of cattle in the dairy herd and, therefore, a massive increase in the number of bull calves. The Taoiseach can call it simplistic, but it is true. This scandal is a direct consequence of Government policy that has pushed intensification and maximum production in the dairy sector. This failed model has also resulted in pollution of our pristine waterways, the degrading of our soil and an increase in our emissions. The Taoiseach's colleague, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, was Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when milk quotas were lifted. In 2014, the year before that happened, he said the dairy industry had been operating under a straitjacket with the quota system.

He also stated categorically that he would not allow a situation where the potential for growth and expansion of agrifood would be compromised by the setting of emission limits. The mantra has always been "No limits". That is why we are having this conversation today. If the Government cannot acknowledge that, no one will have faith that it can address the issue either.

I do appreciate where the Deputy is coming from, but I really think she has got this wrong. She is making excuses for people who engage in animal cruelty and break the law. She is making excuses for hauliers and truckers who break our road safety laws and laws in other countries by driving their trucks without breaks.

Is that the best the Taoiseach can do?

The Deputy is making excuses for them, and I think that is the wrong approach.

When did I make excuses for them?

It does not matter if someone engages in animal cruelty - it is the Government's fault. It does not matter if a trucker does not take rest breaks - it is the Government's fault.

What does the Taoiseach think will happen to bull calves? What is the plan?

The Deputy should not make excuses for people who perpetrate cruelty against animals-----

You support the live export of calves.

Deputy, please.

-----and she should not make excuses for truckers who breach our road safety rules. It is totally the wrong approach, Deputy.

When did I make excuses for them?

That is an unfair representation.