Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I remind members that, in the context of the current Covid-19 restrictions, only the Chairman and staff are present in the committee room and all other members must join remotely from elsewhere in the parliamentary precincts. The secretariat can also issue invitations to join the meeting on MS Teams. Members may not participate in the meeting from outside the parliamentary precincts. I ask them please to mute their microphones when they are not making a contribution and to use the raised hand function to indicate. They should note that messages sent in the meeting chat are visible to all participants. Speaking slots will be prioritised for members of the committee.

The topic of this meeting is the impact of the climate action plan 2021 on the agricultural sector. The joint committee intends to draft a submission to the public consultation on the plan, so this meeting is vital to tease out the issues. I welcome to the meeting the following representatives of Teagasc, Professor Gerry Boyle, director, and Dr. Frank O'Mara, director of research, both of whom are joining us remotely. We have received their opening statement, which has been circulated to members. We are limited in our time due to Covid-19 safety restrictions, so the committee has agreed the opening statement will be taken as read in order that we can use the full session for questions and answers. All opening statements are published on the Oireachtas website and are publicly available.

Before we begin, I draw witnesses' attention to an important notice on parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. If, however, they are directed to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to do so, 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 are asked to respect the parliamentary practice 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. 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 within the parliamentary precincts do not extend to them. No clear guidance can be given on whether, or the extent to which, their participation is covered by absolute privilege of a statutory nature.

I invite questions from members for the Teagasc representatives.