Vol. 532 No. 1
128 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the way in which he will carry out the food safety aspects referred to in the mission statement and functions of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6879/01]
Full details of the measures employed to implement the food safety aspects of my Department's mission statement are set out in the statement of strategy drawn up by the Department in 1998. These include food safety monitoring, surveillance and inspection programmes at processing plant and farm level, controls on agricultural inputs and support for research into food safety. The aim of these measures is to achieve the highest possible standards of food safety by inculcating a culture of food safety into all aspects of the work of both my Department and its customers. This is in line with the overriding principle that all food producers must bear full responsibility for the safety of the food they produce. With the enactment of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act, 1998, responsibility for the enforcement of food safety legislation was transferred to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland which operates under the aegis of the Department of Health and Children. My Department has entered into a service contract with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland to carry out certain work in the areas of meat hygiene, milk and milk products, eggs and egg products and pesticide residue controls on behalf of and as agent for the authority.
