My Department and other agencies have carried out investigations on a number of levels into the reports to which the Deputy refers. With regard to sheep imports from Northern Ireland, the position is that since November 1992 a bilateral arrangement had existed between this Department and the Northern Ireland authorities in respect of sheep going to and from Northern Ireland. Under the arrangement, sheep of Northern Ireland origin could move freely here and vice versa. In the absence until now of a tagging and movement control system for sheep in Ireland it was not generally possible to distinguish between sheep of Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland origin. Sheep presented for slaughter were not required to be tagged or accompanied by any specific docu mentation. Sheep imported from Great Britain and other member states should be accompanied by appropriate certification and their arrival should be notified in advance by the member state.
From interviews with the staff of my Department who inspect sheep at meat plants, there was no evidence available to them to suggest that sheep were being illegally imported given that it was virtually impossible for Department personnel to effectively establish the origin of sheep presented for slaughter in the absence of a tagging and movement control system. That situation has now been rectified and in addition the Diseases of Animals (Amendment) Act, 2001, dealer legislation greatly strengthens controls.
The legal responsibility for checks on sheep presented for slaughter at meat plants rests with the owner or person in charge of the establishment. The owner or person in charge of the abattoir or slaughterhouse is required to ensure each animal to be slaughtered bears an identifying mark or number to enable the veterinary inspector to determine its origin. Department staff were asked to be vigilant in establishing the origin of sheep for slaughter but did not have the necessary identification systems available which apply, for example, in the case of cattle.
There is no legal requirement for sheepmeat to be labelled to indicate the country of origin of the animals. The procedure in Ireland and other member states is that all carcasses which passed the required veterinary inspections are stamped with the official health mark regardless of the origin of the animals prior to slaughter.
Additional InformationWith regard to the question of acquiescence or agreement by meat plants to arrangements to deliver live imported sheep to their premises for subsequent delivery live to farms in the State, the position is that investigations into these activities and others relating to the importation of sheep into this country are ongoing. These investigations are being conducted by the Garda authorities and I understand there is the possibility of prosecution under a number of headings.
