Vol. 552 No. 2
21 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he has had discussions with Veterinary Ireland regarding carrying out inspections for the national beef assurance scheme; the progress of such discussions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11888/02]
Detailed discussions concerning the arrangements for inspection of farms under the national beef assurance scheme have taken place over a four year period with Veterinary Ireland and its predecessor organisation. A protocol for the conduct of inspections has been agreed with Veterinary Ireland and farming representative bodies. There is universal acceptance that farm inspections should be carried out by the testing veterinary surgeon at the time of the annual herd test. There remains some resistance to the implementation of this scheme because of the supposed costs involved. In this respect, the legislation passed by the Oireachtas establishing the scheme states unambiguously that any costs incurred in securing a certificate of approval are the responsibility of the applicant. In any event, €43 million has been invested by the taxpayer in developing the cattle identification and tracing system which will underpin the beef assurance scheme.
The national beef assurance scheme has been designed to assist the marketing of Irish beef by demonstrating strict implementation of high standards throughout the production chain. It provides additional assurances to consumers of Irish beef and a marketing edge for beef exports in the highly competitive and discerning European consumer markets. Ireland produces 500,000 tonnes of beef each year and the best return for farmers can be gained if the product is marketed in higher value market segments, especially the UK and continental Europe. To do so, the product must maintain a high level of consumer acceptance and confidence, particularly against a background of a sector recovering from serious difficulty. I am disappointed with Veterinary Ireland's attitude, as the organisation has continually extolled the virtues of assurance schemes while undermining the implementation of the national beef assurance scheme. I would call upon it to lend its support to the delivery of the scheme.
