Vol. 436 No. 7
41 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry his views on whether the malpractices in the beef processing industry which were highlighted at the Beef Tribunal have been eliminated; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
It is not appropriate for me to comment on evidence presented at the Beef Tribunal in advance of the Chairman's report. I should point out, however that any malpractices or information regarding malpractices which come to the notice of my Department are fully investigated and effective action is taken to prevent a recurrence. Furthermore, it is the practice of my Department to review the control system periodically and, as a result, it has been regularly adjusted and, indeed, in the past few years has been fundamentally overhauled. It will, of course, be further reviewed in light of the recommendations of the Chairman of the Tribunal with a view to implementing those recommendations.
