Mr. Bernard O'Connor:

I thank the Cathaoirleach. The protection of geographical indications for agricultural and wine products and spirits predates significantly this new regulation. We have quite a lot of experience with food and drink GI products. They have been registrable, if you like, since 1992, and wine before that but spirits and foodstuffs since 1992. The purpose of this regulation was to complete the set of products that could be the subject of a GI. Our international law commitments say that we must have it available for protection for all goods. In the EU, we had limited the number of goods for which it was available to foods, spirits and wines. Now we have just completed that.