Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for coming to the meeting and for their clarification on the regulations in question. I have two questions that are based around geographical indicators, GIs. All of us received correspondence from the distillers, Beam Suntory. Part of its empire is the distillery in Kilbeggan, where I am from. Beam Suntory has concerns. It has no issue with what is being proposed but it has noted that the regulation contains several proposals to strengthen the role of the industry in directly funding and protecting the GIs while respecting the role of the competent authorities. While it is appreciative of the work the Department has done with it, Beam Suntory is slightly fearful. It has asked us to lobby the Department to continue to support it in the fashion it has. Is that the Department's intention? The wording of the regulation puts the emphasis back on the industry and in that context, perhaps the Department will take a step back. Could that be clarified for the people involved?

Taking Brexit into consideration, how will all-island GIs be affected in the new EU regulation? Does the new regulation copper-fasten the arrangements or could there be issues, going forward? I am thinking in particular about the situation in respect of Irish whiskey. A distillery in the North of Ireland falls under the remit of the UK, which is outside the EU. How would that affect the status of that GI under the new regulation?