Vol. 510 No. 3
70 Mr. M. Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the plans, if any, he has to introduce a national assurance scheme for lamb in order to improve its market positioning at home and overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22329/99]
A lamb quality assurance scheme would assist the future development of the marketing of Irish lamb, especially in France. Such a scheme would provide reassurance to customers about the origin and integrity of the product and underpin a promotional campaign for Irish lamb in France.
The recently submitted report of the sheepmeat forum recommended that a voluntary lamb quality assurance scheme, in line with similar schemes in other meat sectors, should be put in place. It recommended that this scheme should operate on the basis of a partnership in quality initiative, involving producers, processors and marts and that it should function on an integrated basis centred around meat plants. Responsibility for the implementation of such a scheme would be a matter for An Bord Bia.
