Vol. 524 No. 6
108 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the preparations that are being made at his Department to alert farmers to impending EU regulations on food safety which will require farmers to carry out hazard analysis to identify where food safety may be a problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23412/00]
Among the objectives of the commission in tabling the proposals to which the Deputy refers is to ensure that food producers will bear full responsibility for the safety of the food they produce. This is made possible by the development of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles and is in line with internationally accepted procedures. For the purposes of these proposed regulations, farmers are considered to be primary producers. While the regulations will require food producers to implement HACCP type procedures, it is proposed that primary production will be carried out in accordance with good practice and managed in such a way that hazards are monitored and, where necessary, eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level.
The commission's proposals, which are extremely comprehensive and wide ranging and which involve recasting some 17 directives into five regulations, are currently being considered at working group level and have yet to be adopted by council. A similar process has yet to take place in the European Parliament. One regulation has had a first reading in the council working group. It is likely that it will be some time before the proposals are adopted.
My Department will ensure that farmers are alerted to the requirements of these proposals in good time.
