Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 July 2016
386. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied regarding the adequacy and frequency of checks and inspections in respect of food and food product labelling here and throughout the European Union with particular reference to the need to preserve the integrity of the food industry and recognise its importance to the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23098/16]
View answerI attach great importance to the food and drink industries exports and their contribution to our economic recovery. Agri food exports account for 7% of GDP and continue to grow year on year.
My colleague, the Minister for Health, has overall responsibility for the general food labelling legislation and new EU food information regulations which were adopted by the Council of Health Ministers in December 2011. However, my Department plays a vital role in the enforcement of this legislation under service contract to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. Currently my Department is assisting our colleagues in the Department of Health on the drafting of a new Statutory Instrument to bring the labelling of loose pigmeat and poultry into line with the origin labelling rules for packaged meat brought in on April the first 2015. This requires businesses who sell meat loose in their premises to clearly identify the country of rearing and slaughter of the animal from which the meat is derived. Once the SI has been finalised my Department will arrange for it to be placed on the Technical Regulation Information System for notification to all EU Member States and following on from the obligatory three month standstill period I would be confident that the Minister for Health will be in a position to sign the SI, bringing it into force.
Primary responsibility under EU law for the safety and traceability of food placed on the market lies with food business operators. The role of National Competent Agencies is to verify compliance with this requirement. This is done via a combination of inspecting establishments and auditing the food safety management systems which operators have in place. These controls are applied at different stages in the food supply chain. Regulation (EC) No. 178 of 2002 sets out the general principles and requirements of EU food law and stipulates that food business operators must, at all stages of production, processing and distribution within their business, ensure food law requirements are satisfied. In regard to traceability, the regulations require that food business operators have systems to identify any person who supplies the business with a food, and a system to identify other businesses to which their product has been supplied. This is referred to as the ‘one step forward, one step backward’ traceability system. There are additional requirements for certain fishery and aquaculture products under the Control Regulation (Regulation 1224/2009 and Implementing Regulation 404/2011) from first sale to subsequent stages of production, processing and distribution up to retail.
My Department has a permanent veterinary presence at all its approved slaughter plants. Controls at plants only engaged in secondary processing are carried out at a frequency based on an annual risk assessment. An annual audit of imported products is carried out in each Department-approved plant, including checks on physical identity, labelling and documentary checks for product originating in EU Member States and third countries. Labelling and documentary checks are routinely conducted by the Department.
The import of products of animal origin from third countries is governed by a comprehensive and robust legislative framework laid down at EU level, controlled by Member States in the first instance, and audited by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (formally the FVO), to ensure compliance with all of the relevant food safety standards. The legislation imposes health and supervisory requirements designed to ensure that imported products meet standards equivalent to those required for production and trade between Member States. Border Inspection Posts are operated by my Department. Import control procedures on products of animal and fish origin are highly prescriptive and strictly audited by the Directorate to ensure compliance. Inspection finding reports are published on the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety’s website.
