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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Dec 2000

Vol. 527 No. 3

Written Answers. - Animal Feedstuffs.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

178 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development in the context of his discussions and negotiations with his EU colleagues, the reason it is taking so long to ban animal based feed compound; if he initiated any action in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28646/00]

There has hitherto been no ban on feeding meat and bone meal, MBM, to non-ruminant animals, nor has there been any scientific evidence put forward, by, for example, the EU's scientific steering committee or the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, to suggest that the practice of feeding MBM to such animals constitutes a risk to public health. The feeding of MBM to ruminant animals, on the other hand, has been banned for some time. Ireland banned the feeding of MBM to ruminants as long ago as 1990, and in 1996 strengthened controls in this area to ensure that any risk of cross-contamination between non-ruminant and ruminant feedstuffs was effectively addressed. It has also been the case that the purchase and use of MBM for feeding to non-ruminant animals were permissible only under licence from the Department. Ireland's controls in this area have been independently assessed on a number of occasions, including by the EU's food and veterinary office, over recent years and have been found to be rigorous.

At the special meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 4 December 2000, it was, inter alia, decided to extend the ban on the use of MBM in feed for cattle and sheep to all animal feed on a temporary basis. This decision reflected concern within the EU that certain member states, other than Ireland, had yet to put in place controls of sufficient rigour to effectively address the risk of cross-contamination as between ruminant and non-ruminant feedstuffs.

Pursuant to the decision by Council it will no longer be permissible to have and use MBM for feeding to non-ruminants. My Department will be in contact with those concerned and will be urgently addressing the disposal issue which obviously arises on foot of the decision.

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