The cost of providing the Veterinary Public Health Inspection Service in Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine approved meat establishments, net of fees paid by the Food Business Operators, for 2016, 2017 and 2018 was €11.8m, €13.3m and €14m respectively.
One of the main elements of the Veterinary Public Health Inspection Service cost relates to the provision of ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection as required under Regulation 854/2004 by Temporary Veterinary Inspectors whose services are used on a contract basis for inspection in slaughter plants. The budget for Temporary Veterinary Inspectors has been increased by €2.8m for 2019.
The increase in inspection costs over the three year period is due to higher bovine slaughter numbers and a requirement for allocation of additional resources in some USDA-approved plants.