I am satisfied that there are good animal and public health controls in place in the area of pigmeat imports. Products originating in other EU countries are subject to the same hygiene standards as those applying here in Ireland and these are set down in a series of EU directives. They include approval of premises, ante and post mortem official inspections, health marking of meat, quality control procedures etc.
The level of pigmeat imports from third countries is very low but here also comprehensive controls have been put in place by the EU Commission. These include approval of the country of origin as regards disease situation and reliability of official veterinary services. The slaughterhouses supplying meat must be specifically approved by the Commission. Advance notification of these imports must be given to the veterinary authorities in the first EU country of import where they will be subject to designated checks. For both EU and third country trade, experts from the EU conduct on the spot audits and inspections to verify compliance with the specified standards.