Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This morning, the committee had a two-hour briefing from Mr. Brendan Gleeson and some of his officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. We are now looking forward to a discussion with the farming organisations. I welcome the following representatives of farming organisations: from the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, Mr. Tim Cullinan, president, and Mr. Tadhg Buckley, director of policy; from the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, Mr. Pat McCormack, president, and Mr. John Enright, general secretary; from the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, ICSA, Mr. Dermot Kelleher, president, and Mr. Eddie Punch, general secretary; from Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, INHFA, Mr. Colm O’Donnell, national president, and Mr. Brendan Joyce, national council member; and from Macra na Feirme, Mr. John Keane, president, and Mr. Denis Duggan, CEO. All witnesses are joining remotely and are welcome to the meeting. We have received the witnesses’ opening statements, which have already been circulated to members. All opening statements are published on the Oireachtas website, where they are publicly available. The committee has agreed that each group will be given five minutes in which to present its main points, before we go into questions and answers.

I will read the note on parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect to the evidence they are to give to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in relation to 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. They are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Participants in the meeting who are in a location outside of the parliamentary precincts are asked to note that the constitutional protections afforded to those participating from within the parliamentary precincts does not extend to them. No clear guidance can be given on whether or to the extent to which their participation is covered by the absolute privilege of statutory nature.

I invite Mr. Cullinan, president of the IFA, to make his opening remarks. He is asked to keep to five minutes.