Vol. 547 No. 1
319 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if his Department had a certificate of correctness for the scales at a premises (details supplied); if so, when it was issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1968/02]
320 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if all weighing scales used at meat plants of his Department have certificates of correctness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1969/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 319 and 320 together.
My Department neither owns nor operates meat plants. In the normal course it is therefore a matter for each meat plant to ensure the efficacy of weighing apparatus on its premises and to meet all relevant requirements. However, I assume the Deputy's particular concern in this instance is the temporary arrangement which my Department has with a meat plant for the slaughter of flocks being depopulated as a result of scrapie.
In this regard the position is that following negotiations with the IFA and farmers whose confirmed scrapie positive flocks were to be depopulated, the slaughter of restricted flocks commenced on Friday, 14 December 2001. The formula agreed with the IFA and farmers included a provision for determining an element of the compensation to paid by reference to the weight of the animals. In accordance with the express wishes of the farmers involved, the animals to be slaughtered were weighed live. I should also mention that in the course of negotiations, the urgency of proceeding with the depopulation, particularly of flocks in which lambing was likely to commence in December or January, was repeatedly stressed by the IFA and the farmers concerned.
In order to accommodate these factors, my Department ordered a self calibrating, digital sheep scales which the supplier has indicated is used extensively for this purpose in Ireland. I also understand that the New Zealand manufacturers of the weight cells are world leaders in the manufacture of electronic livestock scales and operate to the ISO 9001 quality standard.
My Department is satisfied, on the basis of close observation and reports by the officers responsible for the weighing of sheep at the factory in question, that this scales was functioning correctly and accurately at all times during the weighing of sheep at the plant concerned. However, on 7 January 2002, the scales was overturned in the lairage of the factory without the authority of the veterinary officer in charge. Test weights recorded immediately after that incident were, understandably, wildly inaccurate, and therefore this scales was not used for weighing animals following this incident. An alternative scales provided by a farmer and tested using test weights provided by the factory was, with the consent of the individual whose sheep were being processed at the time, used for the remainder of the day. Further slaughter was suspended until such time as the Department's scales could be readjusted by the supplier.
This was done on 11 January 2002. On that date the accuracy was also checked by an independent industrial weighing company which issued a certificate of conformance indicating that the scales had been tested and was weighing accurately. A copy of that certificate has been made available to IFA.
