Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 31 March 2022
465. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which any attempted importation of food or food products not up to Irish and European standards has been identified in each of the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17296/22]
View answerFigures derived from the EU Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) indicate that less than 1% of food or food products imported into Ireland and requiring checks at the border by officials in my Department, were identified as not meeting EU standards for entry into the Single Market. The precise numbers are 22 in 2020; 282 in 2021 and 105 in the first quarter of 2022 (increase in 2021 reflects increased number of controls required with the ending of the UK transition period).
Figures are not available in the system for the years prior to 2020. This is likely to be as a result of the move from an older version of TRACES (TRACES Classic) to a more updated version (TRACES NT).
