Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Before we begin I remind members and witnesses in the Public Gallery to ensure that their mobile phones are completely turned off please.

Today we are resuming scrutiny of EU legislative proposal COM(2018)173 which is the proposed directive of the European Parliament and the Council on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the food supply chain. We have already received a briefing from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officials on the proposal some weeks ago and today we invite a number of stakeholders to discuss these proposals.

In the first session today we have representatives from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, and in the second session we will meet representatives from the IFA, ICMSA, ICOS and Retail Ireland. I want to welcome to the committee today from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission: Ms Isolde Goggin, chairperson; Mr. Fergal O’Leary, member of the commission; and Mr. Seán Murphy, director of consumer protection and chief legal adviser. I thank them for coming before our committee today.

Before I begin I have to bring to the attention of witnesses that they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, 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 they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect 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 or her identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that members should not comment on, criticise or make charges either against a person outside the Houses, or an official either by name, or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

I now invite Ms Goggin to make her opening statement, please.