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Wednesday, 23 Jan 2013

Written Answers Nos. 205-13

Roads Maintenance

Questions (205)

Mattie McGrath

Question:

205. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Defence the person responsible for the maintenance of a private road being used by Army personnel to gain access to their training base in Kilcoran, Cahir, County Tipperary (details supplied); if his Department will ensure that damage caused to the road by heavy army vehicles will be repaired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3454/13]

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Written answers

I am advised that the military authorities are unable to find any details of complaints in relation to the road in question or the meeting referred to by the Deputy. If the Deputy supplies me with contact details of the parties who have made the complaints the Department will together with the military authorities ensure that the complaints are investigated.

Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments

Questions (206)

Michael McNamara

Question:

206. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding an agri environment option scheme 2 payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3162/13]

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Written answers

The person named was approved for participation in the 2011 Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1st September 2011.

Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. During these checks issues were identified in relation to the claimed areas on the Species Rich Grassland and Traditional Hay Meadow actions which will result in a penalty being applied. Officials in my Department are finalising the application of the person named on this basis and arrangements are being made to issue payment as soon as possible.

Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Payments

Questions (207, 210)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

207. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara cén uair a dhéanfar íocaíocht faoi Scéim na Limistéar faoi Mhíbhuntáiste (Disadvantaged Area Based Scheme) do 2012 le feirmeoir (sonraí leis seo); agus cén fáth go bhfuil moill leis an íocaíocht seo [3196/13]

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Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

210. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will be issued payment under the 2012 disadvantage area scheme; the reasons for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3200/13]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 210 together.

Payment under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme has not yet issued as, at this stage, the holding concerned has not yet satisfied the Scheme minimum stocking density requirements for 2012. My Department is in ongoing communication with the person named regarding outstanding issues. Immediately these issues are resolved, the case can be further progressed.

Scéim na Limistéar faoi Mhíbhuntáiste Íocaíochtaí

Questions (208)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

208. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara cén uair a dhéanfar íocaíocht faoi Scéim na Limistéar faoi Mhíbhuntáiste (Disadvantaged Area Based Scheme) do 2012 le feirmeoir (sonraí leis seo); agus cén fáth go bhfuil moill leis an íocaíocht seo. [3197/13]

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Written answers

Payment under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme has not issued to the person named as the holding of the person named has not yet satisfied the Scheme minimum stocking density requirements. While the holding concerned is subject to a current agri-environmental plan, that plan does not restrict the holding to a stocking density of less than 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare.

However, while it is noted that the person named previously had equines on his holding, my Department has no details of any equines that may have been on the holding during 2012. My Department will make direct contact with the applicant to clarify this aspect. There are, however, two criteria to be satisfied in relation to horses. First, the holding itself must meet the definition of an Equine Breeding Enterprise and second, horses, in order to be taken account for stocking density purposes, must be aged one to five years and, where older, must be a breeding mare for the purposes of the Scheme.

Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Payments

Questions (209)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

209. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will be issued payment under the 2012 disadvantaged area scheme; the reasons for the delay in payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3199/13]

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Written answers

As the holding of the person named did not meet the minimum stocking density requirements of the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and as there is no current agri-environmental plan for the holding, a review of the stocking capacity of the holding was necessary. Following the recent positive outcome of this review, the application was further processed and payment issued to the nominated bank account on 17 January 2013.

Question No. 210 answered with Question No. 207.

Food Imports

Questions (211)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

211. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of traceability inspections carried out by his Department in respect of beef, lamb and poultry imports in each of the past four years; the number of breaches of the regulations detected and the actions taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3205/13]

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Written answers

Consignments of products of animal origin imported into Ireland from outside the EU are generally checked at a Border Inspection Post (BIP) on arrival in Ireland. There are two product BIPs in Ireland, at Dublin port and Shannon airport, operated by my Department. Controls on imported products consist of three types of checks – documentary, identity and physical. All consignments from such countries have a documentary and identity check and a proportion of products as laid down in legislation are subject to physical checks. Other appropriate checks apply in cases where it is suspected that legislation has not been complied with or there is some other doubt about the consignment. Details of the checks carried out are set out in the following table:

2009

Total Consignments

Failure

Outcome

Action

Poultry

557

2

Rejection

Returned to 3rd Country of Origin

Beef

239

0

Lamb

13

0

2010

Poultry

475

2

Rejection

Returned to Country of Origin

Beef

196

1

Rejection

Returned to Country of Origin

Lamb

11

0

2011

Poultry

550

1

Rejection

Destruction

Beef

85

0

Lamb

18

0

2012

Poultry

485

2

Rejection

Returned to Country of Origin

Beef

109

0

Lamb

10

0

EU law provides for the free movement of goods between Member States. On that basis, meat and meat products produced in an establishment which is approved under relevant regulation can be moved freely within the EU. The onus of compliance with EU food safety regulations, including traceability requirements, rests in the first instance with food business operators. Food business operators in Ireland are responsible for carrying out checks to ensure that their ingredients come from approved plants. In meat plants that operate under the supervision of my Department my officials conduct audits on these checks to verify their effectiveness.

An annual audit of imported products is carried out in each Department approved meat plant. The audit includes physical identity, labelling and documentary checks. This includes product originating both in EU Member States and third countries. In addition, labelling and documentary checks form part of the routine checks conducted by Department officials. The Department maintains a permanent presence in approved slaughter plants. Regular visits are made to other Department approved meat plants. The frequency of these visits is determined by an annual risk assessment which is conducted for each plant.

Details on the number of inspections at Department approved meat plants are set out in the following table:

Year

No. of inspections

No. of Compliance Notices Issued

2009

10,144

151

2010

8,924

55

2011

7,189

51

2012*

4,565

32

(*Provisional figures, relating to the period January-September 2012)

Animal Identification Scheme

Questions (212)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

212. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he has taken to address the illegal horse meat trade here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3210/13]

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Written answers

My Department and Local Authorities operate under EU regulatory requirements which apply in this area in the delivery of official controls in relation to horse identification at marts and other sales venues, in abattoirs and at points of entry to the country. Where forged or tampered passports accompanying horses to slaughter are detected, it is the policy that such animals are destroyed and removed from the food chain.

These requirements are designed to ensure that meat produced in approved slaughter plants is suitable for human consumption. All equines (which include horses, ponies and donkeys) are required to be identified in accordance with EU and national legislation. All equines issued with a passport after I July 2009 must have a corresponding microchip implanted by a veterinarian which is recorded in the passport and creates a link between the passport and the animal.

The passport includes information on any veterinary medicines administered to equines. An equine for slaughter for human consumption must be accompanied to the slaughterhouse by its passport in compliance with current veterinary requirements - this requirement is an essential part of the food-chain information required by food law and the information on the passport determines whether the animal can be slaughtered for human consumption. Under EU legislation, horses treated with certain veterinary medicines such as phenylbutazone, known in the industry as “bute”, are permanently excluded from the human food chain in order to protect public health and the passport of the horse in question is endorsed by the prescribing veterinary practitioner to this effect.

My Department has developed detailed procedures for the slaughter of horses in abattoirs and has communicated these and the checks required both to its staff and the business operators. It has liaised with passport issuing agencies in Ireland and has developed protocols to allow abattoir operators to check the details of passports with these agencies to seek to ensure that they are valid and that only those horses eligible for slaughter are slaughtered.

Ongoing vigilance is maintained in relation to official controls in this area. In that connection, the European Communities (Equine) (Amendment) Regulations, S.I. No. 371/2012, introduced recently, provide for the updating of S.I. No. 357/2011 (European Communities (Equine) Regulations 2011) to strengthen the powers of the Minister in relation to approval of an issuing body for equine passports, authorised officers and prosecutions in relation to equine identification.

The Department is also developing a central database (traceability system) of horses which will involve migration of selected data from passport issuing organisations to the Department. The database will be populated by information provided from the databases maintained by the passport issuing organisations; by the Department from records obtained from sources such as slaughter plants and knackeries; and by Local Authority Veterinary Inspectors in respect of records maintained at appropriate slaughter plants.

The Animal Health and Welfare Bill, which was introduced into the Dail last year, is a very comprehensive piece of legislation on animal health and welfare and will give the Minister and Local Authorities additional powers in relation to the protection of the health and, particularly, the welfare of horses. While my Department does not comment on ongoing investigations, I can advise that during 2012 it revoked the approvals of one organisation to maintain a stud book and issue horse passports; and the approval of one slaughter plant was voluntarily suspended.

Animal Identification Scheme

Questions (213)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

213. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he has taken to address concerns over the use of fake passports in the horse meat trade here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3211/13]

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Written answers

EU legislation provides, which came into effect on 1 July 2009, that equine animals registered after that date must be identified with a passport and a microchip. The relevant national legislation is S.I. No. 357 of 2011 - European Communities (Equine) Regulations 2011 (as amended). This legislation provides that if an equine animal has not been identified within six months of the date of its birth, or by the 31st of December in the year of its birth, whichever date occurs later, then the equine animal cannot be admitted to the food chain. It is an offence under S.I. 357 of 2011 (as amended) Article 24(1) and (2) to forge or tamper with an equine passport.

With regard to the slaughter of horses, an official veterinarian must be present in a meat plant when slaughtering is taking place. All animals are subject to an ante-mortem inspection, which includes an identification check, by an official veterinarian prior to slaughter. The horse passport is examined to confirm the identification of the animal and to check if any medications have been administered that might render the animal unfit for human consumption. If there is evidence that the passport has been tampered with or if the passport is a replacement rather than original passport, the animal will not be allowed go for human consumption. If the animal fails the ante-mortem inspection, it will be slaughtered and the carcase sent for disposal. The animal is not permitted to leave the abattoir alive. If the animal passes the ante-mortem inspection, it is allowed go for slaughter for human consumption. Where forged or tampered passports accompanying horses to slaughter are detected, it is Department policy that such animals are destroyed and removed from the food chain.

My Department has introduced enhanced legislation and procedures in relation to the registration of horse premises and the identification and slaughter of horses over the past year or so. With regard to the registration of horse premises, my Department introduced new regulations in January 2012 such that, from May 2012, anyone who is the owner/person in charge of any premises on which horses are kept is required to register the premises with the Department.

On the issue of identification, my Department up-dated national legislation last September in relation to controls on the identification of horses in order to strengthen the powers of the Minister in relation to approval of an issuing body for equine passports, authorised officers and prosecutions in relation to equine identification. Under this legislation, my Department revoked the approval granted to one of the passport issuing agencies (PIOs) to issue passports to non registered equines last year because of its non-compliances with the rules relating to issuing passports.

My Department also introduced enhanced procedures for the slaughter of horses in abattoirs in October 2011 and communicated these and the checks required both to its staff and the business operators. It has liaised with PIOs in Ireland and has developed protocols to allow abattoir operators to check the details of passports with these agencies, which are obliged by regulation to maintain a database, to seek to ensure that they are valid and that only those horses eligible for slaughter are slaughtered.

EU legislation provides that horses treated with certain veterinary medicines (such as phenylbutazone or “bute”) are excluded from the human food chain. In order to verify the effectiveness of the intake procedures at slaughter plants carrying out the slaughtering of horses, my Department decided last year to increase sampling for “bute” from 60 in 2011 to 104 in 2012 and to 160 in 2013. The last positive test for “bute” was in 2010.

My Department is developing a central database of horses which will involve migration of selected data from PIOs to the Department. The database will be populated by information provided from the databases maintained by the PIOs, by the Department from records obtained at slaughter plants and knackeries and by Local Authority Veterinary Inspectors in respect of records maintained at appropriate slaughter plants. The intention is that this database will be used at abattoirs to verify the authenticity of the passport for the equine presented and to record its date of slaughter.

In conclusion, my Department maintains ongoing vigilance in relation to official controls on the identification of horses, including at slaughter, through national and EU legislation. I am satisfied that robust procedures are in place in approved business establishments to ensure that only horses with valid identification are accepted for slaughter.

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