In any event, €43 million has been invested by the taxpayer in developing the cattle identification and tracing system which will underpin the beef assurance scheme.
The national beef assurance scheme has been designed to assist the marketing of Irish beef by demonstrating strict implementation of high standards right through the production chain. It provides additional assurances to consumers of Irish beef and a marketing edge for our beef exports in the highly competitive and ever more discerning consumer markets in Europe. Ireland produces 500,000 tonnes of beef every year and the best return for farmers can only be gained if this prod uct can be marketed in the higher value market segments, especially in the UK and continental Europe. To do so, the product must maintain a high level of consumer acceptance and confidence, particularly against a background of a sector recovering from serious difficulty.
I am disappointed with the attitude of Veterinary Ireland which has continuously extolled the virtues of assurance schemes while at the same time undermining the implementation of the national beef assurance scheme. I call upon Veterinary Ireland to lend its support at this stage to the delivery of the scheme.
As regards the dairy herd certification scheme, the position is that a round of farm inspections was carried out in 2000 to meet the requirements of the scheme. I understand that inspections were generally undertaken at the time of the annual herd test. There is no reason similar arrangements should not apply in respect of the inspections scheduled to be undertaken this year.