Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 19 May 1999

Vol. 505 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Veterinary Inspectors.

Mr. Browne

(Wexford): A company in County Wexford, Macmine Castle Pork, was recently informed by the senior superintending veterinary inspector from the Department of Agriculture and Food that its premises now conformed with the necessary conditions of EU Directive 91/497 for an export approved licence. The same letter informed the company that, because of a scarcity of veterinary staff in the Department, the licence could not be issued. This has caused major difficulties for the company.

It is strange that the Department, on the one hand, issues grant aid directly and through FEOGA, to enable Macmine Castle Pork to bring its premises up to the standard required for the issuing of an EU licence and, at the same time, informs the applicant that it cannot go ahead because of a lack of veterinary staff.

This company has been built up by the owner, his wife and family over a number of years. It now has a staff of thirty in a rural area near Enniscorthy. I am baffled by the information that the Department is unable to provide veterinary services. In other areas of the south east, retired veterinary staff have been employed on a temporary basis to provide services in meat processing plants.

I ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food, through the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, to examine this. The company is losing export orders and may have to let staff go because of the lack of a veterinary inspection. The statutory levy of £1.05 per pig to cover the cost of inspections should be adequate to cover the Department's expenses. The Minister must consider this issue.

There appears to be an ongoing dispute between the Departments of Finance and Agriculture and Food regarding the allocation of adequate staff to the Department of Agriculture and Food. Macmine Castle Pork should not be a pawn in this game. The owner of the company has spent more than £1 million in bringing the plant up to the required standard. He has been informed by letter that he has conformed to the conditions of the EU directive but because a vet is not available to carry out the inspection, he cannot be issued with an export licence.

The Minister of State should discuss this matter with the Minister, Deputy Walsh to ensure that adequate, permanent or temporary veterinary inspectors will be made available to enable this company to proceed with its current orders and to seek new orders. The owner was in Wales today and won several new orders but until he is granted a licence he cannot deliver to his customers in Wales. This situation could lead to a loss of jobs and serious consequences for the company.

Mr. O'Dea

I thank Deputy Browne for raising this issue and I apologise for the absence of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ned O'Keeffe who made valiant efforts to be here but was unavoidably detained. I assure Deputy Browne that I will convey everything he said to Deputy O'Keeffe and to the Minister for Agriculture and Food.

The Department of Agriculture and Food is obliged to carry out its functions with a fixed number of staff. This policy of capping civil servant numbers was initiated by the previous Government to control public expenditure. Accordingly, the Department must prioritise its resources to ensure the most effective delivery of service to the public. There is extreme pressure on its veterinary services at present to supervise both new plants which have met the relevant EU standards and existing plants to ensure standards are being maintained. Nevertheless, the Minister for Agriculture and Food is ensuring that the number of veterinary officers is maintained at the maximum allowed by the capping policy I have already mentioned.

The Minister is conscious of the very understandable desire on the part of newly approved plants to begin to operate to export standard once they are technically approved to do so, but it must be recognised that operations can only begin when the Department is in a position to provide the necessary level of departmental supervision. Every effort is made, and will continue to be made to limit the delay between approval and the provision of Department staff to allow plants to operate to export standard. The Minister is keeping the veterinary staffing situation in meat plants under constant review and the existing resources will be used as efficiently and effectively as possible to meet the needs of the industry.

The Minister is aware that a pigmeat plant in County Wexford was recently inspected by departmental veterinary staff. As a result of the inspection it has been awarded full EU export status but the staffing problems I have already outlined are preventing the plant commencing operations. I assure Deputy Browne that every effort is being made to resolve this situation, notwithstanding that the changeover from domestic to export status of a plant has immediate and considerable staff resource implications for the Department of Agriculture and Food.