The meeting is the first of a series of hearings which the committee will be holding in the coming weeks in order to investigate the issues surrounding the recent contamination of Irish pork products and consider how the difficulties now facing this industry might be overcome.

The Committee has suspended all other business and over the course of the next number of weeks it will be questioning relevant individuals and agencies in order to assess

• the proportionality of the response in dealing with the original contamination
• effectiveness of the traceability system currently in place
• procedures involved in monitoring licensed premises
• the way forward for the industry domestically and globally.

The committee intends to publish its findings at the end of its deliberations.

Committee Chairman, Johnny Brady TD said, "The contamination of Irish pork products had a huge impact on producers, suppliers and consumers. Throughout the next few weeks, the committee will be assessing how this situation came about and examine how best to restore confidence to the industry in order to secure the future of this important sector."

Mr Brady said the meeting will afford the committee an opportunity to question some of the individuals who were involved in making key decisions during the contamination and discuss what lessons might be learnt from the incident.

Some of the individuals and agencies who will be appearing before the committee throughout the upcoming weeks include Mr Brendan Smith (Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), Ms Mary Wallace (Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children), Dr Tony Holohan (Chief Medical Officer), Dr Patrick Wall (The Food Safety Authority), Bord Bia, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Irish Grain and Feed Association and Representatives from pig producers and processors.