Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 7 Dec 2000

Vol. 527 No. 5

Written Answers. - Pigmeat Quality Assurance Scheme.

Eamon Gilmore

Ceist:

135 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the role his Department plays in monitoring the pork quality assurance scheme operated by Bord Bia; if he will confirm that the code includes a provision that pigs should not be fed meat and bonemeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29157/00]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

The Bord Bia pigmeat quality assurance scheme is a voluntary initiative between Bord Bia and the pigmeat industry and is designed to underpin the marketing and promotion of Irish pigmeat.

The provisions of the scheme are documented in a technical manual. It is the responsibility of each member plant to comply with the requirements laid down in the manual. Compliance is monitored by audit. Audits are carried out by external International Register of Certified Auditors approved auditors independent of Bord Bia.

The current scheme was revised in 1997 and the new technical manual issued to the industry in January 1998. This was post the 1996 BSE crisis. While the feeding of meat and bonemeal to non-ruminants, including pigs, was legal, Bord Bia decided to acknowledge and anticipate con sumer concerns and, accordingly, included a provision excluding pigs fed with meat and bonemeal from the scheme.

Member plants of the quality assurance scheme are not precluded from purchasing pigs that have been fed meat and bonemeal but it is a strict condition that they must have in place a traceability system which ensures that these pigs are segregated and are not processed under the quality assurance scheme. Audits carried out in member plants have revealed no instance of meat and bonemeal fed pigs being processed under the quality assurance scheme.

My Department oversees the activities of Bord Bia in general and the operation of the Bord Bia legislation but does not have any direct role in the operation or monitoring of the scheme. However, my Department is represented on a technical committee that is responsible for developing and reviewing the scheme. Earlier this year, Bord Bia established with the approval of my Department a separate subsidiary board, to be known as the quality assurance board, to oversee the operation of all its quality assurance programmes. My Department is represented on this subsidiary board.

Questions Nos. 136, 137 and 138 taken with Question No. 134.