Vol. 475 No. 1
277 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the quantity of meat and bone imported from the United Kingdom in each of the years from 1979 to 1997; the names of the importers; the ports of entry; and the feed compounders who purchased the meat and bone from the importers. [4480/97]
By virtue of EU legislation, the export of mammalian meat and bonemeal from the United Kingdom has been prohibited since March 1996. Prior to that date, national controls were in place on the import of mammalian meat and bonemeal from Great Britain since 1966 and from Northern Ireland since 1989 by virtue of the Importation of Carcases and Animal Products (Prohibition) Orders, 1966 and 1989. These orders required any person importing mammalian meat and bonemeal to do so only in accordance with an import licence. No such licences were issued by my Department for mammalian meat and bonemeal during the periods in question. As there were no controls on mammalian meat and bonemeal imports from Northern Ireland prior to 1989, my Department has no records as to the imports, if any, which took place from there prior to that date.
