Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 May 2013
203. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in respect of the investigation into the contamination of Irish beef products with horsemeat, the current status of the investigation; if its findings will be published; the potential consequences for parties found to be responsible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26170/13]
View answerI published a detailed report on the ‘Equine DNA and Mislabelling of Processed Beef Investigation’ on 14 March. This report includes details of the companies that came to my Department’s attention during this investigation and the actions taken by the Department. Operations in a total of four plants were suspended (in some cases on a voluntary basis) for varying periods arising from the investigation. Information in relation to activities by traders and other intermediaries in the supply chain outside of the jurisdiction has been passed to Europol and other Member States to facilitate continuing investigations in other countries.
My Department is considering the possibility of instituting legal proceedings where appropriate, as indicated in the report. It is important to note in that context that while some of the failures referred to in the report risked reputational damage to the Irish food sector, they did not breach EU or national law.
The Irish authorities were the first to discover and disclose this problem of adulteration of beef products, which turned out to be a pan European problem. Exposure of this malpractice will result in improved consumer protection not just in Ireland, but also throughout Europe. We remain fully open to assisting any other Member State or entity with regard to ongoing investigations in other jurisdictions and will continue to do so in a transparent manner, as has been the practice throughout the equine DNA investigation.
