Vol. 527 No. 3
84 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the preparations being made in his Department to alert farmers to impending EU regulations on food safety which will require farmers to carry out hazard analysis to identify where food safety may be a problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28434/00]
Among the objectives of the Commission in tabling the proposals to which the Deputy refers is to ensure that food producers will bear full responsibility for the safety of the food they produce. This is made possible by the development of hazard analysis and critical control point, HACCP, principles and is in line with internationally accepted procedures. For the purposes of these proposed regulations, farmers are considered to be primary producers. While the regulations will require food producers to implement HACCP type procedures, it is proposed that primary production will be carried out in accordance with good practice guidelines and managed in such a way that hazards are monitored and, where necessary, eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level.
