Vol. 507 No. 4
16 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has satisfied himself that all appropriate steps were taken to alert consumers of the possible dangers posed by certain foods imported from Belgium in view of the dioxin contamination scare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15849/99]
In addition to the media coverage on the situation in Belgium, my Department and the Department of Health and Children undertook a range of measures to protect and alert consumers. These included in particular, notices in the main daily newspapers and information to consumers and others through the various media; notices to health boards and retail outlets through the food alert system; provision of contact numbers for inquiries.
Apart from this, a range of control measures were adopted and significant quantities of agricultural and other products were detained or removed from retail outlets.
My Department continues to liaise with other Government Departments and agencies, primarily with the Department of Health and Children and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, and continues to monitor the situation.
