Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Apologies have been received from Senator Mark Daly.

I remind members of the committee to ensure that their mobile phones are switched off at this point.

Today is a very busy session for this committee, a vitally important one in our work and indeed the ongoing discussions that we are having. On behalf of the committee, I welcome the president of the Ulster Farmers Union, Mr. Barclay Bell, and the chief executive, Mr. Wesley Aston. It has become clear quickly from our meetings so far, especially in agriculture, that our two economies are intertwined and linked in very fundamental ways, with daily transfers across the Border and back again of milk products, cattle, pork and so on. For some products, the raw material comes from one side of the Border to the other for processing and for other products. Before I invite our guests to speak, I want to welcome them again. My late grandfather farmed cattle on the Cavan-Fermanagh border for many years, as Senator Joe O'Reilly knows. I would not say he was cattle-rustling at the time, but many products went back and forth seamlessly many years ago. Before we begin, I would like to read out a note on privilege.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses, or an official, either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. If they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise nor make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

With all that out of the way, I welcome the witnesses and ask them to speak.