Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2004
49 Ms Lynch asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his views on the fact that the introduction of mechanical graders for beef will give inaccurate results; and if he would make a statement on the matter. [14735/04]
View answerThe potential for using mechanical means for beef carcase classification was first recognised in the mid-1980s. In the late 1990s the European Commission started to actively examine the possibility of introducing legislation that would allow the use of mechanical classification systems. My Department carried out trials on three machines over a six-week period in July and August 1999 and a two-week period in March 2000. In total, almost 10,000 carcases were classified. The results of these trials showed that there was considerable potential for using machines to predict conformation and fat scores.
Following discussions at European Commission working group level and after a further trial in Germany in 2001, a regulation was agreed — Commission Regulation 1215/2003 — allowing mechanical classification to be introduced in member states. This regulation set down the manner in which an authorisation test should be conducted, the minimum level of accuracy for a machine to be licensed and the control checks that must be implemented by the competent authority when an authorised machine has been installed.
An authorisation test, set down under EU prescribed procedures, which included the attendance of an international panel of classification experts, was carried out in Ireland in late 2003, where three machines were tested. All three machines comfortably exceeded the minimum requirements and were licensed to classify in Ireland.
My Department is in the process of setting up detailed checking systems for machines once they become operational in the autumn. These checks will include both remote electronic access from headquarters to the mechanical classification systems at the plants and frequent plant visits, where checks to the same level of detail as the authorisation test, will be carried out. I am satisfied that this will ensure the Commission regulation is fully complied with and, moreover, that it will enable all sectors of the beef industry to have full confidence in this new system.
