asked the Minister for Agriculture the procedure for inspection of food cargoes at ports and airports to ensure that we do not get an infection of Colorado beetles.
Private Notice Questions. - Colorado Beetle Incursion.
asked the Minister for Agriculture the steps he is taking to trace and check recently imported parsley for Colorado beetles; the steps he is taking to prevent a further incursion of these insects; and if he will make a statement on the matter to allay public anxiety.
I propose to take the two questions together.
A documentary check on imports, including certificates of freedom from diseases and pests from the exporting country, is carried out by the customs authorities at the point of entry. Physical inspections of produce are carried out by inspectors of my Department at the wholesale market and distribution points. The inspectors have statutory power to impound and destroy produce or whatever other action is necessary to deal with an infestation of Colorado beetle or other parasite.
Inspectors in my Department have already traced and destroyed nearly all the boxes of parsley in the consignment in which Colorado beetles were discovered. Checks have also been made with importers and traders in regard to any further expected import consignments so that detailed examination can be made. Contact is being made with the French authorities to ensure pre-export examination of produce coming to this country. Customs authorities have also been alerted and an appeal has been made to the public through the media to watch out for and report any suspected sighting of Colorado beetle.
Deputy T. Fitzpatrick rose.
I hope the Deputy will keep order now.
Just listen and hear. Could the Minister tell us how many boxes of parsley were involved in the shipment and how much parsley approximately was in each box? How many boxes have been traced? Could the Minister also give rough particulars of the remainder of the cargo on the ship and tell us whether it is likely or possible that that cargo could also have been infested by these insects? In what country or countries are these insects more commonly found?
There were 100 boxes of parsley involved in the container; 86 have already been traced and they and three beetles were destroyed. It is because those three beetles were found that the action to which I referred was taken. I should like to assure the House that vigorous attempts are being made to trace the other boxes associated with this consignment. However, the beetles were found in one box only but that was enough to alert us to take the action required.
What about the remainder of the cargo?
I am not in a position to comment on that but I will endeavour to find out.
It is obvious that the inspection was not thorough at the point of import and it is necessary for the Minister to take stern action to ensure that all imports of food are held up for examination to guard against a situation arising which could have destroyed the potato crop of 140,000 acres.
The procedure, as I indicated to the Deputies in reply, is that you have a documentary check at point of import and then you have a detailed examination at point of distribution, as happened in this case. Because of the alertness of the officials concerned at point of distribution these three beetles were discovered. Where there is any reason at all for special action, then it is taken and if necessary it will be possible to ensure seals on all containers of this nature, but the Deputy and all Deputies will appreciate that if that were to be done in respect of all imported containers the whole basis of trade could be very much undermined. For that reason, in view of what I have said and the action that has been taken, the notification to the French authorities to ensure detailed examination at export point as well, the House and the country can be assured that the matter is under control.
The Minister has not given us the approximate quantity of parsley in each box nor has he told us what the remainder of the cargo contained. I understand that it was a cargo mainly of vegetables. If that is so quite a few of these insects could be involved. Will the Minister agree that these beetles fall into the category of foot and mouth disease and that in view of our history in regard to potatoes anything that would destroy the entire potato crop should not be taken lightly and that what is regarded as a routine check is not sufficient? Would the Minister not agree with that?
I assure the Deputy, and through the Deputy the public, that there is no question of taking this lightly; quite the opposite. I would not like to have anyone under any illusion. No. 1, we are taking the most rigorous and effective action. No. 2, only because of the procedures for examination this matter came to light, and I assure the House that that is the kind of procedure that will not only be maintained but strengthened. Finally, I assure the House and the public that it does not give rise to any major apprehension. I do not want to understate the importance of it. We have alerted everybody at every level, exporter, departmental, importer and otherwise as a consequence of finding these three beetles because of departmental inspection.
At this stage the full cargo has not been found. Is it not true that the authorities involved should have known where all the cargo was going and that it should have been easy enough to find the total cargo within 24 hours? On the information the Minister has given the House, to date this has not happened. Secondly, in so far as spot checks are concerned, the Minister has an opportunity now to ensure that the authorities involved can prohibit parsley and other items in the food industry from coming into this country by delaying them at point of import. I do not think there is anything wrong with that and it should give our industry an important breathing space.
I assure the House that any action required will be taken and if it means sealing containers at point of entry in respect of any food it will be done, but the Deputy and the House will appreciate that if that were to be the standard practice it would cut across all normal trade. Secondly, in so far as we are aware of the source of export, we have been in contact with the export authorities and the French authorities in this case. Thirdly, I do not accept the implication of the Deputy's question, that we have not taken effective action. We have, and because of that what might have been serious I can now assure the House is a matter of the most minimal risk, if any risk at all is involved.
I have given a great deal of latitude on this question. A final question from Deputy Tom Fitzpatrick.
The Minister has not given us the names of the countries with whom we trade and where this beetle is commonly found. Let me ask also if the Minister does not agree that it is somewhat absurd that we should be importing parsley when it grows nearly wild here.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
Would the Minister avail of this incident to exclude parsley from our imports as being a dangerous and diseased plant?
Let me assure the Deputy that apart altogether from the need to protect our whole vegetable industry from such infestation, this Government in any event and my Department particularly are specially charged to ensure that we develop a horticultural industry here that will ensure we minimise the level of importation in every respect. That is a major plank of the Government's responsibility. Secondly, I assure Deputies that we are aware of the wholesaler to whom the consignment was addressed and through that we have checked and destroyed 86 of the boxes. That is the most important thing. The others, some of which have not yet been checked, will be finally made known to us. They were all consigned to one wholesaler. On that basis some of them may have been dealt with through restaurants and may have been destroyed by now. The House can be quite sure that every effective action has been taken.
That completes questions for today.