Vol. 545 No. 3
56 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the steps he intends to take to provide a compensation package to the Association of Craft Butchers of Ireland towards defraying expenses incurred by the additional costs of disposing of SRM and offal. [30040/01]
The safe disposal of specified risk material – SRM – and other offal plays an important part in the protection of human and animal health and is an integral part of the EU legally enforced BSE controls in the beef sector.
The costs of disposal of SRM in the meat industry is a matter for that industry and there are no proposals to have these costs defrayed by the State. The financial arrangements for the rendering of and disposal of non-SRM offal, introduced in early 2001, remain in place and benefit all areas of the meat processing sector, including members of the Association of Craft Butchers of Ireland.
