Emmet Stagg
Question:56 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the action which has been taken following the FVO report on labelling of beef and beef mince; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13999/03]
Written Answers. - Food Labelling.
EU beef labelling regulations introduced in 2000 require operators involved in the marketing of beef to label their product with a reference code to enable the beef to be traced back to: the animal or group of animals from which it was derived; the approval number of the slaughterhouse and the country in which it is located; the approval number of the de-boning hall and the country in which it is located; and an indication of the origin of the animal from which the beef was derived.
In its report of its audit on beef labelling in Ireland, the FVO recommended, inter alia, that a formal and effective co-ordination mechanism between the different agencies charged with traceability and labelling of bovine meat and meat products be put in place and that this coordination should include a control strategy covering all the stages in the production chain.
While the competent authority in Ireland for the purpose of the EU beef labelling regulations is the Department of Agriculture and Food, the State's 33 local authorities and ten health boards are also involved in so far as low capacity abattoirs and retail outlets are concerned. In January of this year the beef labelling regulations were been included in the 2003 service contract between my Department and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI. This allows for the FSAI to co-ordinate all relevant beef labelling activities between my Department, the local authorities and the health boards.
A working group is being established by the FSAI which will comprise representatives of the relevant agencies. Its purpose will be to develop guidance for industry in terms of documentation and labelling required; assess the extent and frequency of inspections to be carried out by the enforcement officers; agree a system for approving traceability and beef labelling plans drawn up by the industry and develop a training programme for enforcement officers.
FVO audits throughout all member states of the EU identified a number of difficulties in the implementation of the beef labelling regulations. EU member states recently considered these difficulties, and possible solutions, at a meeting with the EU Commission in Brussels earlier this month. In accordance with the requirements of the beef labelling regulations, the Commission will report to the Parliament and to Council on or before 14 August 2003 on the implementation of these regulations and will most likely introduce proposals to address those difficulties.