Vol. 496 No. 6
175 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has satisfied himself that there is unrestrictive access for Irish beef products to the French market; and the reports, if any, he has had regarding the operation of the traceability scheme in France which allegedly discriminates against Irish beef. [23493/98]
I am not aware of any restriction which discriminates against Irish beef on the French market. In France, as in most other member states, there has been an increased emphasis on the labelling of beef in the past number of years. I am aware that the French retail trade requires certain labelling information for beef consistent with Council Regulation 820/97 and Irish exports fulfil these requirements. France does operate a system of compulsory labelling in respect of its domestically produced beef, that is beef derived from cattle which were born, reared and slaughtered in France and the domestic market seems to have a preference for the native product. This system has been approved by the EU Commission.
