Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2017
291. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which adequate slaughtering facilities remain readily available to meet the needs of beef, lamb and pig producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5161/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe slaughter of livestock in this country for human consumption is carried out at facilities which are approved by either the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine or by the relevant local authorities.
There are currently 49 meat plants approved and supervised by my Department to slaughter animals for human consumption. These plants are required to meet prescribed structural and operational standards set under EU and national food safety regulations. They are supervised by the Department’s Veterinary Public Health Inspection Service, which has a permanent presence in slaughter plants and uses the services of approximately 600 Temporary Veterinary Inspectors (TVIs), on a contract basis, for meat inspection. The numbers of animals slaughtered from the main species in Department-supervised plants in 2016 were 1.63m cattle, 2.67m sheep, 3.25m pigs, 92.9m poultry. Smaller abattoirs are supervised by local authorities.
The establishment of a slaughtering plant is a commercial decision made by individuals or companies. I am confident however that the processing industry has the capacity to meet the throughput requirements for the various sectors outlined by the Deputy now and for the foreseeable future.
