Under EU Food Safety legislation, primary responsibility for the safety of food placed on the market place lies with the food business operator. Controls on the import of food are implemented by a number of agencies, including my Department, through service contracts with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
The main food products within the responsibility of my Department are products of animal origin. As regards intra community trade such products can be traded freely within the Community provided they originate from EU approved plants. Consignments of these products imported into Ireland from third countries are 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 have a documentary and identity check and a proportion of products as laid down in legislation are subject to physical checks.
Arising from the disclosure in the authenticity survey conducted by the FSAI of equine DNA in certain beef burgers, I have requested manufacturers of processed meat products to carry out DNA testing and to work with the FSAI in developing testing protocols for this purpose. Given the pan European nature of the problem I have also arranged to have it discussed at EU level.
