Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 23 Feb 1999

Vol. 500 No. 7

Written Answers. - Foodstuffs Transportation.

John Gormley

Ceist:

293 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the health and safety implications placed on haulage contractors in segregating food material from hazardous materials when transporting them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5052/99]

John Gormley

Ceist:

306 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the regulations which exist in regulating the transport of food and the proximity of that to hazardous materials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5124/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 293 and 306 together.

Responsibility for the transportation of foodstuffs spans a number of Departments. My colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment is responsible for the Dangerous Substances (Conveyance of Scheduled Substances by Road) (Trade or Business) Regulations, 1980 (as amended). The transport by road of hazardous substances must comply with the provisions of the ADR Agreement – European Agreement concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by road. The agreement provides that certain substances shall be kept apart from foodstuffs in vehicles and at places of loading, unloading or transporting. These regulations are enforced on the Minister's behalf by the Health and Safety Authority.

My Department has responsibility for the European Communities (Hygiene of Foodstuffs) Regulations 1998 (S.I. No. 86 of 1998) which gave effect to Council Directive 93/43/EEC on the hygiene of foodstuffs. These regulations lay down obligations on proprietors of food business, including the requirement that such business is operated in a hygienic way. Under these regulations, proprietors are obliged to identify steps in the activities of the business which are critical to ensuring food safety and ensure that adequate safety procedures are identified, implemented and reviewed.

Controls on the transportation of foodstuffs, including protection of foodstuffs from the risk of contamination, are specified in Article 20 of these regulations. This Article provides that conveyances and/or containers used for transporting foodstuffs must be kept clean and maintained in good repair and condition in order to protect foodstuffs from contamination and must, where necessary, be designed and constructed to permit adequate cleaning and/or disinfection. Where different foodstuffs or anything in addition to foodstuffs are transported together there must be effective separation of products, where necessary, to protect against the risk of contamination. Foodstuffs in conveyances and/or containers must be so placed and protected as to minimise the risk of contamination. Receptacles in vehicles and/or containers must not be used for transporting anything other than foodstuffs where this may result in contamination of foodstuffs. Bulk foodstuffs in liquid, granular or powder form must be transported in receptacles and/or containers/tankers reserved for the transport of foodstuffs. Such containers must be marked in a clearly visible and indelible fashion, in one or more Community languages, to show that they are used for the transport of foodstuffs, or must be marked "for foodstuffs only". Under EU legislation, derogations currently exist for the bulk transport in sea-going vessels of liquid oils and fats and the transport by sea of bulk raw sugar.

The regulations also provide that, where necessary, conveyances and/or containers used for transporting foodstuffs, must be capable of maintaining foodstuffs at appropriate temperatures and, where necessary, designed to allow those temperatures to be monitored. These regulations are enforced on my behalf by the Environmental Health Service in the health boards.