Seamus Kirk
Question:8 Mr. Kirk asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the estimated cost of the system of traceability of the national beef herd that he recently announced. [13809/96]
Written Answers. - Consumer Confidence in Beef.
Seán Power
Question:25 Mr. Power asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the funding arrangements for his recently announced plans for the traceability of the national beef herd. [13807/96]
Liz O'Donnell
Question:27 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the proposals, if any, he has to ensure that consumer confidence in beef can be boosted through the introduction of a traceability system that will provide wholesalers, retailers and consumers with information on animals' history from birth to slaughter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13776/96]
Noel Davern
Question:35 Mr. Davern asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when his recently announced plan for a system of traceability of the national beef herd will be in place. [13808/96]
Brian Cowen
Question:119 Mr. Cowen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry when the proposed computerised system to ensure the traceability of the national cattle herd will be put in place; whether it will be fully compatible with the Northern Ireland system; and if he will give details of the financial arrangements in this regard. [13923/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 25, 27, 35 and 119 together. I fully recognise the importance of fostering customer and consumer confidence in our beef and in that regard being able to give the greatest possible assurance to consumers at home and abroad of the source and status of the raw material. I am satisfied that we are in a position to successfully give high levels of assurance to the market on both the origin and the wholesomeness of our products.
In giving assurances on the origins of the product we make use of many sources of information on the animals in the national herd and their various locations throughout their lifetime. The main sources of such information are the cattle identity system and the extensive and comprehensive records on herds and animals tested annually under the disease eradication schemes. These records are mainly manual with a limited amount computerised.
There are also other potential sources of information on animal location which can be utilised and which if developed and combined with the disease scheme records could give on computer a comprehensive life history on any animal at any moment in time.
In my recent statement I signalled my intention to develop the most comprehensive possible animal history or traceability system using a wide range of location information sources such as disease schemes, premium and headage schemes, movements off farms, movements in and out of marts, disposal for slaughter or export, etc. The comparability of the system we design with those operated elsewhere, including Northern Ireland, would be taken into account.
Such a system has to be computer driven and supported. In that regard our present animal location information is only partially computerised and considerable investment and development is necessary to arrive at the comprehensive computerised system to which I referred.
The short-term aim is to centralise our present animal location information data on one computer file which will be available to assist our veterinary certification service in its work. In the medium to long-term the aim is to develop the comprehensive traceability system to which I have referred.
It is difficult to put a precise timeframe on that development but the most important computer supported elements should be in place within two years with the full system taking about another year to be fully operational.
It is also difficult to give precise estimates of cost but over a two to three year period it is likely that at least some £12 million will be needed to fund the development of the computer systems and pay for the hardware, software and communications systems. I cannot say to what extent the costs would have to be fully met by the Exchequer.