Vol. 503 No. 7
23 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will give a detailed account of progress made by his Department on the introduction of a mechanised system of carcass grading which would guarantee uniformity; if the systems in operation in other counties have been examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11029/99]
My Department, in conjunction with Teagasc, is currently examining objectively based grading systems that are being developed in other countries, specifically in Denmark, Germany, France and Australia. An officer of my Department along with an industry delegation visited Denmark in August 1998 to examine the operation of the BCC-2 system there. Arrangements are at an advanced stage to set up a trial in an Irish beef plant to evaluate three of the available systems – the Danish BCC-2 system, the German VBS 2000 system and the Australian VIA scan system. The trial will be conducted during the summer months and will involve an initial calibration of the systems followed by an evaluation phase.
The intention is to examine the applicability of objective systems under Irish conditions. The performance of the machines will be assessed by experts from my Department and the EU Commission. The information obtained will be pooled with the data available from other member states which should contribute to getting a mechanically based system adopted in the EU as soon as possible. None of the mechanical grading systems being evaluated has yet been granted approval by the European Commission.
I raised this matter on previous occasions and I have been approached by farmers in recent weeks to do so again. Did the Minister of State not give me a commitment that he would travel to watch the implementation? I accept that one of his officials did so in August 1998, but is there a reluctance in the Department to allow the Minister of State to examine the systems under consideration in the environments in which they operate? The Minister of State's reply was long-winded and I want to know why there will be a huge number of evaluations. Why is Ireland different from countries which are used to utilising the system? Is there a reluctance in the Department to introduce a mechanical system? I would like a straight "yes" or "no" answer.
In answer to the first question, there is no embargo on my travelling abroad. However, I do not like to travel very much.
The Minister of State gets around.
He goes to race meetings.
How dare the Deputy suggest I attend race meetings. I do no such thing.
The Minister of State does attend race meetings.
The Deputy is anti-racing.
The Minister of State to reply without interruption.
Deputy Ring is confusing the Minister of State with the Minister, Deputy Walsh.
I admit I may have attended the occasional race meeting.
The Minister of State attended one in my parish but he did not call to see me.
I may do so yet.
The Minister of State will probably not be in office long enough to keep his promise.
I am aware of the dissatisfaction of producers. I am also aware of the importance of grading and classification systems, particularly if we are to regain our share in the markets to which I referred in reply to an earlier question. A move towards flat rate selling took place in recent weeks, but this has been reversed in light of the downturn in the market. When the economy is buoyant there is usually a tendency to move towards flat rate selling, which is upsetting the market. A percentage of our product is going to Third World markets and we must improve on that.
Two machines – one Australian, the other Danish – will be placed in two factories in the south-east later in the year. They may already be in place. I invite Deputy Penrose to accompany me on a visit to the two plants involved to see them in action. I intend to travel to Denmark to see a machine in operation. However, there is no scientific evaluation available at present and the company concerned is not supported by the EU.
I realise we must improve the system and satisfy producers, otherwise we will continue to have a "you and us" situation between factories and producers. This has created much dissatisfaction on all sides and it has bedevilled the beef industry more than anything else during the past five to ten years because of the uncertainty in respect of grading. Farmers, by and large, are genuine people but they distrust the plants and factories and for that reason we must put in place a more scientific evaluation system. I will do everything possible to ensure a system is put in place which will satisfy everyone's needs.
I met a number of factory managers who propose to transfer their operations to the new system. Do I take it Enterprise Ireland will provide financial support for such investments? If he has it to hand, perhaps the Minister of State could provide the House with information on the proposed cost of mechanical graders. I understand they are expensive. As part of an overall beef plan, is it vitally important that we transfer to this system? In my view, flat rate selling should be outlawed by legislation because it helps no one. However, it is equally important that grading is seen to be fair. Will grant aid be made available to meat processors and those who invest in mechanical graders?
As already stated, two machines are being placed in two plants in the south-east on an experimental basis. Funding of £200,000 from the food research fund is being made available to fund the project. That is the position. I cannot state whether the new machines are good, bad or indifferent, but we want to remove the possibility of human error from beef grading and put in place a satisfactory system. Everyone in the industry in this country has a great deal to gain from abandoning the old system.
Farmers claim they are being done down. That is far from true, but it is the reality. If we move away from that mindset, our beef industry will be a model for Europe and we will be able to tap into and sell produce on the markets to which the Deputy referred.
