Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 May 2014
11. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the adequacy of traceability provisions throughout the food sector with particular reference to the authenticity of labelling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20335/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy question is on the absolute need for ongoing compliance with traceability regulations and for producers and consumers to be able to rely on traceability and authenticity.
Food labelling to inform consumers of the properties of pre-packaged food is governed by EU rules. The most important labelling rule is that the consumer should not be misled. The Minister for Health has overall responsibility for the general food labelling legislation. New EU food information regulations have extended the explicit compulsory origin labelling requirements to meats other than beef which already has that provision. The positive news for food producers and consumers in Ireland is that we will be extending next year through the European Union a country of origin requirement in the labelling of other meats, including fresh, chilled or frozen meat of swine, sheep, goats or poultry. Implementing rules were adopted on 13 December 2013 under Regulation 1337/2013 and will be applicable from 1 April 2015.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland, or FSAI, has overall responsibility under the aegis of the Minister for Health for the enforcement of food safety and labelling requirements in Ireland. It carries out its remit through service contracts with my Department and other agencies, including the Health Service Executive, or HSE. We have a whole series of inspection roles in factories, food service organisations and on farms. The horsemeat crisis last year was a good example of the effectiveness of our regime when a European fraud problem was exposed in Ireland first where we had the systems to do so. My Department has a presence at practically every level and works on a contractual basis and in partnership with the FSAI in most of those areas.
It is not a surprise that Ireland has probably the most stringent food safety regulations in the European Union because we export so much of the food we produce. Reputation for us is everything. We must protect the consumer and the reputation of our food industry and we are doing everything we can to ensure we do so as professionally and comprehensively as we can.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
Inspections to ensure compliance with traceability and labelling legislation are carried out by a variety of inspection services provided by these agencies under the aforementioned contracts. In traceability, EU food hygiene regulations stipulate, among other things, that there should be "one up, one down" traceability at each point along the food chain and I am satisfied that food business operators in this country generally meet that standard. The onus of compliance with EU food safety regulations, including traceability requirements, rests in the first instance with food business operators. My Department maintains a permanent presence in approved slaughter plants. Regular visits are made to other Department-approved meat plants. The frequency of these inspections in plants other than slaughter plants, which focus primarily on food safety requirements, is determined by a risk assessment, as required under EU legislation, which is conducted for each plant. My Department has been able to reduce the number of inspections at non-slaughter meat plants, where there is no permanent supervisory presence, by moving to a more robust and rigorous targeted system of official controls, based on the risk assessments mentioned above.
Official controls and inspections levels are monitored independently by the EU Food and Veterinary Office and by the FSAI under service contract. Food business operators in Ireland are responsible inter alia for carrying out checks to ensure that their ingredients come from approved plants. In meat plants that operate under the supervision of the Department, official controls are conducted on these checks to verify their effectiveness. An annual audit of products, including imported products, is carried out in all cold stores approved by my Department. Labelling and documentary checks also form part of the routine checks conducted by Department officials. I assure the Deputy that in so far as my Department is concerned, I am fully committed to ensuring that all of the necessary labelling and traceability controls are deployed fully and effectively.
To what extent can we rely on the traceability and hygiene standards applicable throughout the European Union and with particular reference to food imports from third countries? Have any checks been made to identify weaknesses in the traceability regime throughout Europe?
Clearly, there was a breakdown last year, but that was because of blatant food fraud as opposed to a breakdown in the systems in place. Across the 28 member states of the European Union, we have comprehensive traceability requirements for the food industry. We have free movement of goods and food in the European Union but we also have a tight, strict system that is common to every country and which sets out the obligations on full traceability. One can have rules but if someone sets out to commit fraud and deliberately mislead, as happened in the case of horsemeat, one needs robust systems to expose it. That is why we have new systems in Ireland for DNA testing in the food industry which we never had before except on a pilot project basis. DNA testing is now carried out as part of the systematic food testing which takes place in Ireland. We will encourage the adoption of that approach in other European countries.
When the European Commission negotiates trade agreements with third countries outside the European Union, such as the recent agreement with Canada, a major aspect is a provision that the standards on traceability, safety, animal husbandry, hormones and genetically modified organisms which apply here also apply to producers exporting to the EU. The negotiation and inspection process involved is complex, which is why deals take a great deal of time to get across the line. We have been talking for three years about a potential trade deal with Mercosur countries in South America, but that has still gone nowhere. One of the reasons is the insistence that the standards which apply to food producers here are applied to food being brought into the European Union. There are some exceptions, but that is the principle behind the negotiations.
Is the Minister satisfied that the tests applied throughout the European Union are as stringent as the ones applied in Ireland? In the event that food is imported into Ireland from other member states, is it subjected to second round of tests to ensure compliance?
We go above and beyond what the European Union requires in terms of food safety controls as Ireland must be best in class. I am satisfied that the rules and regulations set out by the Commission are being implemented across the European Union. While there will always be mistakes, cases of food fraud and crises, it is our responsibility, as it is the responsibility of other member states, to minimise the likelihood of these events by putting proper inspection systems in place. The inspection systems in Ireland to enforce existing regulations and go beyond that to supervise processing facilities are there to protect the reputation of the Irish food industry. Where appropriate, we go beyond what the European Commission requires of us to ensure that we protect consumers not only in Ireland but in other parts of the world and protect the reputation of our industry which is a hugely valuable part of the Irish economy.
