DEAR SIR: Reading Adam Woods' article in a recent Irish Farmers Journal in regard to profit margin of €200 per cow, it seems to confuse profit per cow and profit per finished animal.

At the end of the day everything depends on how efficient it is to produce an animal from birth to slaughter.

As for grass-produced beef, there should be no problem with our image of grass- and silage-based diets and maybe a few months longer to grow and finish our cattle on a lower grain intake could improve margins to farmers and enhance our green reputation as well.

We have to export the bulk of the beef we produce and with 50% of it going into mince we probably need an adequate supply of young cattle from the dairy herds, or whatever sources are economical, to do so.