30 Mar 2015, 15:07
Representatives from Animal Health Ireland (AHI) will appear before Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine The meeting will consider progress made across various AHI work programmes including national BVD eradication, Somatic Cell Count reduction and Johnes' disease control.
30 March 2015
AHI is an industry-led, not-for-profit partnership between livestock producers, processors, animal health advisers and government.
Committee Chairman Andrew Doyle TD says: “The prosperity of the food industry, worth up to €10 billion annually, is directly related to the safety of the food we are producing. The Committee is firmly of the view that animal health, animal welfare and farm profitability are fundamentally interlinked and of equal importance. Tomorrow's meeting with Animal Health Ireland is a timely opportunity to discuss their innovative work in safeguarding and supporting Irish agriculture.
“European consumers expect their food to be produced in a manner that safeguards animal health and welfare and minimises the use of anti-biotics in the food chain. Since its establishment in 2009, AHI has quickly established itself on the front line in bolstering Ireland’s enviable reputation for high quality produce. Committee Members look forward to engaging with this independent, science-based organisation, which gives Irish livestock farmers and the associated industry access to international best practice in herd health.”
In addition, there will be scrutiny of the following non-priority EU legislative proposals COM(2015)52, COM(2015)53, COM(2015)72 and COM(2015)73.
The meeting will commence at 3:15 pm tomorrow Tuesday 31 March in Committee Room 3, LH 2000, with EU scrutiny in private session. The outcomes of the discussions will be outlined in public session, before engagement with AHI representatives.
Committee proceedings can be followed live here.
Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.
Media enquiries to:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie
Committee Membership:
Chairman: Andrew Doyle, (Fine Gael)
Deputies: Tom Barry (Fine Gael); Pat Deering (Fine Gael); Martin Ferris (Sinn Féin); Martin Heydon (Fine Gael); Michael McNamara (Labour); Éamon Ó Cuív (Fianna Fáil); Willie Penrose (Labour Party); Thomas Pringle (Independent)
Senators: Michael Comiskey, Denis Landy, Paschal Mooney, Mary Ann O’Brien, Brian Ó Domhnaill, Pat O’Neill