Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are very restricted with Covid and we are under time pressure. As witnesses will see, the seating arrangements are strange to say the least. We have to keep very well spaced out. I welcome from the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, ICOS, Mr. John O'Gorman, chairman of the ICOS dairy committee; Mr. Eamonn Farrell, food policy executive; and Ms Alison Graham, European affairs executive, who is joining us remotely from Brussels. From Meat Industry Ireland, I welcome: Mr. Philip Carroll, chairman, and Mr. Cormac Healy, senior director. From Dairy Industry Ireland, I welcome Mr. Conor Mulvihill. I thank them all very much for attending today.

Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in relation to a particular matter and continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. Witnesses are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise nor make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

Witnesses participating in the committee meeting from a location outside the parliamentary precincts are asked to note that the constitutional protections afforded to those participating from within the parliamentary precincts do not extend to them. No clear guidance can be given on the extent to which their participation is covered by absolute privilege of a statutory nature.

We will take the witnesses' opening statements as read and conduct a question-and-answer session with the members of the committee. The three organisations present represent different sectors so if a question is only relevant to one sector whichever organisation it suits best will answer. Some of the questions will apply to both sectors.