Dr. J.G. Beechinor:

I thank the Deputy. I am aware of the interest of licensed merchants in this area and, as I said, of their contribution over many years. For us, this is not around that. The Department regulates how the system operates on the ground. The issue for us is that the products have to comply. We regulate the products and the products have to comply with the requirements. That is the EU regulation and, because it is the EU regulation, we, as regulator, would be negligent if we did not do that. We have had evidence of resistance building for a number of years.

If I appeared before the committee this evening, members may well ask: "What in God's name, were you doing? Were you asleep at the wheel? How much evidence do you need, for God's sake?" The criteria are as plain as night and day. Basically, our job as a regulator is to ensure that the products are regulated in accordance with the legislation, because otherwise, the future of our food products would be in jeopardy.