Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Commissioner.

We had an interesting meeting yesterday where we had representatives from both the whiskey industry and the dairy industry. They made it clear that the country-of-origin issue needs to be addressed and the implications are massive if you have 40% of Lakeland Dairies milk coming North. We need to get a solution here. This divergence in standards will be a big issue for us over the next few decades. Where will that divergence of standards go? How will the EU play a part in making sure that standards increase rather than decrease?

Last night, there was an interesting documentary on RTÉ with Michael Portillo regarding the participation in 1921. It is obvious it became about dialogue and about the ability to talk and engage. What functions or groupings can be set up to involve more dialogue at political level so that we have the opportunity, maybe between the EU and the UK, and even this Parliament and the UK Parliament, and Northern Ireland and the Republic, to have more dialogue. Where does that dialogue need to go?