Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 June 2021
413. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of times in each of the past five years that mechanical grading was suspended in meat plants following an inspection by his Department; the corresponding figure to date in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32730/21]
View answerIn the past five years (2016-2021 to date), officers from the Carcase Classification Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine conducted 2,911 inspections in total, across 32 factories classifying carcasses. The average number of inspections significantly exceed the requirement under the relevant EU legislation. The EU legal requirement for monitoring classification is a minimum of eight inspections per factory per year and must include a minimum of 40 carcasses at each inspection.
In each of the past five years, including 2021 to date, the average number of inspections per factory was 18 with an average of 85 carcasses inspected at each inspection. The number of inspections in 2020 was reduced because of COVID-19 restrictions but continued to exceed the number required by legislation.
Unannounced checks by classification officers verify the on-going accuracy of the automated beef grading methods by using a system of points and limits defined in EU legislation. The mechanical classification method must operate within legally defined tolerances at all times. As with any mechanical system, grading machines can from time to time fall out of tolerance. The suspension of mechanical grading following an inspection by the Department is summarised in the table below. To date in 2021, mechanical classification was suspended on one occasion following an inspection by classification officers.
Where a machine is found operating outside of tolerance, the factory is instructed 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 classification section 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. Farmers are advised through their remittance dockets where manual grading is applied.
|
Year |
Number of Inspections |
Number of Instances where a machine was turned off following an Inspection by the Department of Agriculture |
|
2016 |
616 |
10 |
|
2017 |
628 |
13 |
|
2018 |
550 |
8 |
|
2019 |
580 |
6 |
|
2020 |
405 |
4 |
|
2021 to date |
132 |
1 |
