Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have had the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Teagasc in before the current witnesses and there has been intensive questioning of both. I have been quiet enough.

I welcome Mr. Richard Kennedy, chief executive; Dr. John Gilliland, director of global agriculture and sustainability; and Mr. David Hagan, sustainable agriculture manager, from Devenish. We will give them ten minutes to give their opening statement before we go into questions and answers.

Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to do so, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected to 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 or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

I ask Mr. Kennedy to make his opening statement.