Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the IFA delegation. Many issues were dealt with by the previous speakers. We have had discussions with the different supermarket groups in recent weeks and many allegations were made prior to those meetings about hello money, listed money and so on but the representatives who came before this committee said there was no issue in that regard. They were very strong on that on some occasions. Have the witnesses hard evidence of suppliers coming to them directly, be it a beef producer, a horticulture producer or whomever, indicating they are under serious pressure from X, Y or Z, showing the evidence of that and asking what they can do for them? If that is the case it should be incorporated into any report this committee produces to feed into legislation. We all know of different cases but it is important that this is up front.

Deputy Ferris mentioned the UK independent adjudicator. I understand the person is in that office only four or five months but have the witnesses any feedback from their equivalent in the UK on the way that process is working? Is it possible to have a similar process here?

As a liquid milk producer I know only too well the difficulties involved. It is a constant source of irritation that when one goes into different supermarkets one will never find the same price for the same litre of milk, even though I might get 33 cent per litre. Many litres come from the one tank I produce every day of the week. That is a constant source of irritation but I welcome the witnesses observations in that regard.