Mary Upton
Question:228 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the frequency with which manu facturing and liquid milk holdings are to be re-inspected under the scheme for annual health of dairy cows. [5269/03]
Written Answers - Milk Production.
Mary Upton
Question:229 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of registered manufacturing and liquid milk farms which were inspected under the scheme for annual inspection of dairy cows for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. [5270/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 229 together.
Under EU Directive 92/46/EEC, which is given the force of law in Ireland by S.I. No. 9 of 1996, there are animal health requirements for the dairy cows yielding milk for human consumption. The system operated in Ireland to ensure these requirements are met is based on certification of the milk yielding animals by private veterinary practitioners. Inspection of the on-farm dairying facilities under the legislation has been the responsibility of the Department's dairy produce inspectorate in the case of manufacturing milk production holdings and of the local authorities' public health protection service in the case of farms producing milk for the preparation of drinking milk.
While the primary onus for compliance, as with all food safety requirements, rests with the supplier, certification by veterinarians was deemed a key part of the scheme. The regularity of veterinary inspections for this purpose is not set out in the directive. The system worked well when almost all dairy herds were inspected and certified in 1999-2000. However, following an interruption due to the foot and mouth disease outbreak, Veterinary Ireland displayed an unwillingness to continue the system as originally operated. Discussions are ongoing with the veterinary and the farming organisations on aspects of the scheme, which if concluded successfully, will allow the arrangement for the health certification to be re-commenced.