Vol. 537 No. 1
93 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the steps he is taking to monitor the presence of e.coli 0157:H7 on farms in view of the grave risk that this micro-organism poses to human health. [15456/01]
Teagasc, through the National Food Centre, has been involved for several years in a number of research projects in relation to e.coli 0157. These relate both to primary production at farm level and to factory production. They are funded through the food sub-programme of the operational programme for industrial development, which is administered by my Department by agencies such as Teagasc and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and the EU FAIR agricultural research programme.
Projects currently under way include studies relating to the potential role of water and slurry in the transfer of e.coli 0157:H7 on farms, the biocontrol of the pathogen by isolating naturally inhibitory microflora from soil, vegetation and water, the influence of animal diet and the survival of the pathogen in faeces, grass and soil.
