I heard a funny story this week about a farmer in BDGP.

He had a five-star bull on the farm but he went infertile and he sold him in the mart in May.

He forgot about replacing him before the 30 June deadline for BDGP.

He enquired as to what the fine was going to be but was told he had a “bull” that met the criteria. It ended up he had bought a castrated pedigree Charolais bull along with other weanlings in autumn 2019. He was genotyped and ticked the box. Happy days.

It seems the lads in Kildare Street will have to get a satellite to look under as well as over stock. The farmer quipped: “I wonder will his calves be four- or five-star!”