Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
693. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if all materials, correspondence, reports and briefings regarding the two meat plants recently ordered to revert to manual grading of carcasses will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19214/20]
View answerCommission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1184 of 20 April 2017 governs the monitoring of carcase classification.
My Department fully endorses and supports the objective of ensuring a robust system of carcass classification and maintaining the confidence of farmers in it. To this end, carcase classification controls in slaughter plants are carried out by a dedicated team of specialist staff in the Beef Carcase Classification Section within my Department. Their remit under EU legislation is to carry out un-announced inspections to ensure that meat plants comply with these legislative requirements for classification. 277 inspections were carried out to date in 2020.
Performance of machine grading is monitored at each inspection to ensure the machines operate within tolerance at all times. As with any mechanical system, grading machines can from time to time fall out of tolerance. Where a machine is found operating outside of tolerance, DAFM instructs the factory to cease mechanical classification. When any mechanical system is found to be working outside of these tolerances, the meat plants concerned are instructed to revert to manual grading.
In this scenario, the factory must arrange for the classification machine to be serviced. When this service is completed, the Department is notified, and classification officers will proceed to conduct a further classification exercise (min 100 carcasses) to confirm that it is in working within the legal tolerances before mechanical grading is allowed to recommence.
In all cases, where a factory was instructed to revert to manual grading, manual grading is initiated, and this is advised to farmers through their remittance dockets.
Publication of details regarding factories that have been found to be non-compliant with the legislation is addressed in SI 254/2019 ‘European Union (Carcase Classification and Price Reporting) Regulations 2019’. This legislation outlines that the Minister may publish a list of factories where on-the spot fines were applied. However, no fines are applicable in these 2 cases. My Department is committed to publishing the list of non-compliant factories at the end of each calendar year.
