Vol. 482 No. 5
107 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food whether he has satisfied himself that imported meat and meat products currently on sale here conform to the health and disease free status of this State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18447/97]
I am satisfied, within the confines of the rules of the European Community's Single Market, that imported meat and meat products currently on sale here conform to the health disease free status of the State.
Under EU rules it is permissible for bovine meat products which have been processed in the United Kingdom and which bear a "UK" stamp to be on sale here provided these products have been manufactured from beef imported into the UK from other countries including in many cases, Irish beef. A system of traceability has been introduced in the UK to ensure that only non-UK beef is used for export from establishments which are approved by and under the permanent supervision of the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Great Britain and, in the case of Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. Each consignment of bovine meat and meat products imported into Ireland from such establishments in the UK is accompanied by a supplementary certificate signed by an official veterinarian stating that the meat-meat products have been derived from bovine meat which was obtained from animals which were not slaughtered in the United Kingdom.
Every meat product produced in an approved establishment in a member state of the European Community bears a code number of the establishment of origin. If the Deputy has any doubt about the authenticity of a particular product on sale here he should provide details of the product and its code number to my Department where it will be fully investigated.
