At any other ICMSA AGM, the Taoiseach downing a glass of milk before addressing the assembled would have been the headline.

“Milk is full of protein, that will help with my benching,” quipped Leo Varadkar. I’d say at least half the audience had no idea what he meant.

He claimed calves were being killed on Irish dairy farms in a brutal manner, fully aware the effect his comments would have

Benching in Limerick is what Warren Gatland did to Brian O’Driscoll before the third Lions test (I thought I’d keep the sporting analogy to rugby, just in case the Taoiseach is reading). Perhaps some thought he had said “belching” and wondered had he drank the milk too fast.

In any event, that moment was completely overshadowed by the comments of a former politician, Ned O'Keeffe.

He claimed calves were being killed on Irish dairy farms in a brutal manner, fully aware the effect his comments would have.

His involvement in the family farm, which had a large pig unit, was problematic as he opposed a total ban on meat and bonemeal

Let’s just pause for a minute to consider the judgement of Ned O’Keeffe. This is the man who had to resign as Minister for State in the Department of Agriculture back in 2001 because of his failure to disclose a confict of interest. It wasn’t just any conflict of interest either.

His involvement in the family farm, which had a large pig unit, was problematic as he opposed a total ban on meat and bonemeal. The O’Keeffe farm was one of just 17 licensed to use meat and bonemeal at the time.

There is a keen awareness of the need for the highest standards of calf welfare to pertain

And Mr O’Keeffe was the minister with responsibility for food safety at the height of BSE, when farming was incredibly vulnerable to bad publicity. The optics were appalling.

And this is not a case of circle the wagons and shoot the messenger. There is a keen awareness of the need for the highest standards of calf welfare to pertain. Not only do we export over 90% of our dairy output, we also export a huge proportion of our dairy. We are again incredibly vulnerable to loose talk.

The audience for their part were critical of the push toward Jersey breeding

ICMSA’s decision to convene a panel in the public glare to discuss the matter was brave. The panel, including Teagasc’s Laura Boyle, vet Conor Geraghty, Joe Burke of Bord Bia and Glanbia’s Martin Ryan, didn’t sugarcoat the message either.

The audience for their part were critical of the push toward Jersey breeding, and of the recent admission by one of the architects of that dynamic that there hadn’t been consideration of the calf issue.

And then Ned O’Keeffe launched his hand grenade. He once called for the film Babe to be banned because it might affect pigmeat sales.

He seems less concerned about reputational damage to farming now. Perhaps it’s not the Taoiseach that needs benching, but the former junior minister.