Deputy Spring gave me notice of his intention to raise on the Adjournment the new measures the Minister for Agriculture and Food proposes to implement to combat the use of angel dust.
Adjournment Debate. - Use of Angel Dust.
I consider this matter to be of great importance and urgency. The illegal use of angel dust as a growth enhancer is extremely serious and, indeed, very damaging to the image of Ireland as an agricultural country producing agricultural products within the European Community. To date, Irish farming and food products have had an exemplary image abroad and that is an image we must do everything to protect to ensure that it is not destroyed by the intrusion of angel dust into agricultural products.
I am afraid it has become more evident that the Minister for Agriculture and Food is unable to conduct or direct a serious investigation into the illegal use of growth enhancers such as angel dust which has been talked about a lot this week. His response must be seen as exacerbating what is already a critical problem for our beef producers. His latest proposals, enunciated by him on Monday evening and again last night lack credibility and they appear, certainly to the European Community, to be too little too late in dealing with this serious problem.
I would say to the Minister that his response to date has been totally inadequate. Instead of, to use his own words of Monday evening, considering implementing stringent measures, it is time for action and things should be done by the Government and by the Minister on behalf of agriculture. He should have already given powers to the Garda and to the customs authorities to search and seize so that they can combat the threat to the beef industry which he has acknowledged in a number of speeches in the last couple of days.
It was in December last that the Minister for Agriculture and Food conceded that more than 10 per cent of herds which had been sampled for the illegal growth enhancer were positive. It is now clear that the Minister is unable to face up to the challenge that the illegal use of the drug presents to the Irish agriculture and food industry and our image of wholesomeness in the European context. We are very proud of the image we have established over the last number of years but that image is now in serious danger. The Minister's inability to confront the problem in a responsible and constructive manner has added further difficulties and resulted in damaging press abroad in recent weeks in relation to Ireland's agriculture and food industry. The Minister has admitted as a fact that a mere 97 herds to date have been sampled for the abuse of this drug, and this represents a mere three herds per county out of a total of over 150,000 herds in the country as a whole. The extent of the sampling is totally ineffective and minuscule when one takes into consideration the media attention and the fact that farming and the food industry are now awash with rumours of the widespread abuse of angel dust in the industry.
In a recent response to a Dáil question, the Minister for Agriculture and Food failed to contradict the suggestion that meat factories were encouraging farmers to use angel dust or to dust cattle prior to slaughter. Pathetically the Minister, with the full apparatus of the State at his disposal, was actually forced to appeal in this House to Members of the Dáil for any information on the use of angel dust. It is now well known that angel dust is a lethal drug if handled improperly. There are widespread reports in farming circles of a number of tragic deaths due to inexperience and ignorance in the handling of the drug during the preparation of the foodstuffs. There are questions which remain unanswered in relation to the Minister's seriousness in coming to grips with this problem. This House, and the industry as a whole, need to be convinced of his seriousness. Any proposals the Minister has should be brought before the Dáil and I am convinced that he would get the support of all the parties in this House in trying to rid Irish agriculture and the Irish food industry of the threat that now exists.
I regret that on this vital issue Deputy Spring has not used the occasion to condemn out of hand those few unrepresentative shamefully irresponsible people whether in the farming sector or in the meat industry who have done a disservice to the industry. I regret the fact, though I am not surprised, that Deputy Spring prefers instead to find some mean party political advantage that he can use to turn against the Minister. One might expect from the leader of a party on this issue that he would at least demand that those who are trying to undermine this industry would be isolated and ostracised. He has not done so. It is almost as if the Minister of the day was the one who caused and is responsible for it, and that is untrue.
My position in this matter is well known. I would like to set on record the range of measures which I have implemented to tackle these illegal veterinary medicines. In July 1990 I introduced specific legislation to deal with and combat the use of any growth promoting substance. I took this action because I was aware that certain substances could be used as an alternative to hormone growth promoters which had been banned in 1987. I was determined that no apparent loophole of this nature would encourage or facilitate a drift towards the use of illegal substances. I do not need any convincing on the need to tackle and eliminate this problem or of the risk that it poses to our meat industry if it gets out of hand.
The measures I have taken are more comprehensive and stringent than those applicable in any other member state. They comply with the views of the European Parliament who have passed resolutions calling on the Commission to extend hormone type controls to the use of all illegal growth promoting substances. I have called repeatedly at Council of Ministers meetings for a harmonised approach — in essence, I want other member states to introduce measures as stringent as those I have introduced here.
Our legislation now provides for the following measures — a total prohibition on the manufacture, importation, sale and possession of prohibited substances a ban on the use of prohibited substances in farm animals and the sale or processing of meat derived from an animal so treated with prohibited substances; powers for authorised officers to stop any vehicle, enter any land or premises and search for, examine or test any animals, meat or meat product, or anything believed to be a prohibited substance; search warrants to be obtained by authorised officers, members of the Garda Síochána and officers of Customs and Excise to enter and search any land, premises or vehicle on reasonable grounds of suspicion; the locking up of herds and meat pending further investigation and surrender of identity cards; and condemnation of the meat or meat products containing residues.
To ensure observance of the regulations I have stringent enforcement measures in place. Over 400 officers are authorised to enforce the regulations. Veterinary inspectors at slaughtering facilities are empowered on suspicion to detain and sample any animal or meat and, if the use of illegal substances is confirmed, to condemn such animals or meat.
Last November I launched an intensive campaign to counteract any temptation to drift towards the use of beta-agonists. I assembled a special team of officers to devote their full time attention to this duty and to carry out on-farm inspections. So far they have tested 100 herds and on results to date 17 herd owners will be prosecuted. The process is going through what Deputy Spring, as a lawyer, will recognise as the proper legal procedures. I cannot walk into court without going through the normal procedures. The activities of the squad have been broadened to cover van men, retail outlets and other distribution points. To date 26 raids of this kind have taken place. There have been some notable successes in the seizure of illegal substances. This campaign will be continued. Therefore, at present, the situation is that there is a strong body of legislation and resources being devoted on the ground to enforcement. Liaison between officers of Customs and Excise and the Garda Síochána has been strengthened.
I propose very soon to introduce further legislation to make all members of the Garda Síochána fully authorised officers and to give them additional powers to investigate suspected breaches of the regulations. Deputy Spring would also know, if he consulted with the former Attorney General who used to be his adviser, that this matter has to be done after full legal inquiry and confirmation, and that is what I have been doing for some time. Regulations are at an advanced stage of preparation to require all sellers of veterinary medicines to be licensed, thus completely outlawing all sales by van men. I will introduce legislation to make offences in this area indictable and thereby make penalties even more prohibitive.
It is ironic that the intensive campaign has generated adverse publicity in the media, particularly in the foreign media. Responsibility for this problem should be laid where it belongs. The least Irish people expect the leader of any party in this House to do is that. However, Deputy Spring has not done so. Responsibility rests with those unscrupulous people who want to make a quick buck from the importation and distribution of these substances. It rests with those farmers who are so greedy and foolish as to think that somehow these substances will make beef production more profitable. Ultimately it is their industry and livelihoods which they are playing with. There is only so much that any Minister or Department can do in terms of enforcement and prevention and I am determined to take my powers to the very limit. However, I need the support of the beef industry generally in getting on top of this problem. Having listened to the debate this evening I am entitled to say that I need the support of this House and not petty political point scoring. I know that the representative organisations condemn the use of these substances. It is time for the industry and the farming community to work more actively against their use. This is not a problem which has arisen because of some draconian proposal, it is not a viral disease which we cannot prevent. It is a problem which can be quickly eliminated if the entire industry takes the sensible and obvious choice, which is to have nothing to do with these substances and to collectively ostracise those shamefully irresponsible few. I hope that Deputies will target those people and not the Minister whom some would like to target in order to score petty political points.
May I ask the Minister when we can expect the legislation?
The Minister's reply concluded the debate.