Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome the following representatives from Women in Agriculture Stakeholders Group, WASG, all joining remotely: Ms Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, chairperson; Ms Louise Crowley, Macra na Feirme representative; Ms Caroline Farrell, Irish Farmers' Association, IFA, representative; Ms Vanessa Kiely O'Connor, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, representative; and Ms Mona O'Donoghue-Concannon, Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association, ICSA, representative. They are very welcome to this meeting. We received their opening statement, which has been circulated to members, and will be published on the Oireachtas website. They will be given ten minutes to make the statement before going into questions and answers.

Before beginning, I will read the note on parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they are to give to the committee. However, if directed by 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 to make him or her or identifiable.

I now call the WASG representatives to make opening their statement. It is their first time to be before the committee and they are most welcome. I am sure this will be the first of many times they will ask to come before committee to make their views known. I call Ms Hannah Quinn-Mulligan to make the opening statement.