Meat Processing Plant Inspections

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 February 2019

Tuesday, 26 February 2019

Questions (443, 444)

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

443. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 200 to 202 of 7 February 2019, when a mechanical grading machine is found to be out of sync, the person or body that carries out the service on the machine before a subsequent classification check can be carried out by officials from his Department; the adjustments or corrections made and taken; the location in which they are recorded in order to document the root cause of the issue which led to the machine falling out of sync; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9026/19]

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

444. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the service audit trail that exists to ensure that adjustments made to mechanical grading machines to bring them back within EU defined tolerances are not intentionally or accidentally changed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9027/19]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I propose to take Questions Nos. 443 and 444 together.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1184 of 20 April 2017 governs the monitoring of carcass classification, carcass presentation and weighing.

Inspections carried out by my Department identify when the grading machines are operating outside of tolerance. Machine servicing is part of the factories' standard operating procedures.

The servicing of a mechanical classification machine is a matter between the factories who own the machines and the company that carries out the service.