Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome representatives from Bord Bia, Ms Tara McCarthy, CEO, Mr. Padraig Brennan, director, meat, food and beverage, and Mr. Shane Hamill, manager, strategic projects, who is joining us remotely.

I also welcome representatives from the Irish Grain and Feed Association, IGFA, who are the joining the committee remotely, Mr. Bobby Roche, president, and Mr. Joe Connolly, IGFA member and CEO of Connolly’s Red Mills.

We received witnesses' opening statements which have been circulated to members. As we are limited in time due to the Covid-19 safety restrictions, the committee has agreed that the opening statements will be taken as read so we can use the full session for questions and answers.

Before we begin, I wish to give an important notice on parliamentary privilege. 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 on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of the proceedings is to be given. They should 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, her or it identifiable.

Witnesses participating in the committee meeting from a location outside the parliamentary precincts should note that the constitutional protection afforded to those participating within the parliamentary precincts does not extend to them. No clear guidance can be given as to whether, or the extent to which, this participation is covered by absolute privilege of a statutory nature.

There is a huge onus on Bord Bia as the agri-food industry's marketing body. We find our industry at a crossroads that we never envisaged before where our access to our main market is under threat. There will be many problems on 1 January whether there is a deal or not. Many of our processors are extremely concerned. We heard from the ICSA and ICSMA earlier, as well as from other stakeholders last week. Many issues, such as the logistics of 32,000 lorries crossing the Border every year, will arise from 1 January. Will Bord Bia elaborate on the preparations it has made to deal with the problems which will not arise until we are in an actual Brexit situation?