Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2004
186 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if inspections of meat or food imports here are sufficiently rigorous to prevent the spread of disease or infection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5344/04]
View answer187 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if food or meat imports have been returned to their country of origin or have otherwise been rejected on the basis of lack of traceability or inadequate disease prevention standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5345/04]
View answer188 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if all meat imports here are rigorously inspected to prevent disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5346/04]
View answer189 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has satisfied himself that all poultry imports here are sufficiently inspected to prevent the spread of the avian flu; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5347/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 186 to 189, inclusive, together.
Detailed EU legislation in the veterinary field lays down the conditions that member states must apply to the imports of products of animal origin from third countries. This harmonised legislation imposes a series of health and supervisory requirements designed to ensure that imported products meet standards at least equivalent to those required for production in, and trade between, member states.
All meat imports must come from third countries or areas of third countries approved for export to the EU. Meat and animal products must be sourced from establishments that are approved and must bear an EU approved health mark.
Meat may only be imported into the European Community through a border inspection post that has been approved by the food and veterinary office. The office also carries out monitoring and inspection of each member state's BIPs to ensure that the conditions for import of animal products into Europe, provided under harmonised EU legislation, are being correctly applied. In Ireland BIPs that are approved for administering checks on direct imports of meat from third countries are Dublin Port for frozen, chilled and ambient temperature animal products, and Shannon Airport for chilled and ambient only.
Meat importers must be registered with my Department. They must give advance notice of the arrival of meat to the BIP. Imported meat must be accompanied by the appropriate commercial documentation showing country and approval number of the establishment of production as well as a health certificate conforming to the models set down in EU legislation. The meat must also be labelled. All consignments undergo a documentary and identity check and physical checks are carried out at frequencies laid down in EU law. Once imported meat has met all the required conditions it is released for free circulation within the community. Copies of the BIP clearance document and the health certificate must accompany the consignment to its destination. Imports failing to comply with these veterinary control checks may be detained for further examination. If non-compliance is established they are returned to the exporting country or destroyed.
In 2003 a total of 32 consignments were rejected for the following reasons: 26 were rejected for incomplete documentation, of which 25 were destroyed and one was redispatched; two consignments were rejected and destroyed as they were presented at a point of entry that was not an approved BIP; four consignments were rejected because they had no health certificate of which three were destroyed and one was redispatched.
