Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Although all the findings of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, report are serious the findings on horse meat contamination could potentially do the most damage because of the nature of the meat involved and the quantity of horse meat found in one sample. I welcome the steps taken by the supermarkets to remove product from their shelves and to reassure consumers. This is a serious issue because food exports from Ireland are vital to our economic well-being. Many jobs depend on the meat sector, including those of farmers, workers in distribution and workers in the processing industry etc. Our reputation as a safe, quality producer of food with a high level of traceability of product is vital. We need to get to the bottom of this affair quickly and we need to take all necessary steps to protect our reputation. Through decisive action the Minister must ensure that our people and all our customers worldwide maintain their faith in the quality and integrity of our meat and food products. We also need to ensure that labelling reflects the origin and contents of all ingredients in food products and that it is made a serious offence to give misleading information in this regard.

I emphasise that in one case approximately 30% of the meat content was horse meat. This is not cross-contamination but the use of horse meat as a major constituent of the burger in question. Given that millions of burgers are made every year, the chances of picking a burger subject to isolated once-off mistaken contamination from a random sample - if it was purely a random sample - are less than the chances of winning the national lottery. Therefore, I have several questions for the Minister. What was the statistical chance of a random sample picking up a once-off isolated contamination? When did the Department and the Minister become aware of this issue? What actions did the Minister take to deal with it? Why did he not immediately make the public aware of the report? What steps have been taken to establish the source of the ingredients? Does the Minister have evidence to show that this horse meat did not originate from within the country? Is the Minister willing to come into the Dáil next week to debate this issue in detail in order that we can reassure the public at home and abroad about the safety of the product we put on consumer shelves?

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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The first thing this episode highlights is the need for a more comprehensive system of food traceability and labelling in the country. While it is to be welcomed that the contamination was detected by the FSAI and that an inquiry has been established there must be positive steps taken as a result. This is especially the case given that consumers are probably under the impression that they are buying Irish beef products when in fact a significant part of the product is imported. Moreover, in this case it was not even beef. The Minister must make known the names of the companies in Spain and the Netherlands which, he claims, supplied the contaminated product and he should say whether either of these companies are owned in part or in whole by any of the Irish companies which processed the burgers. Given that horse meat is an ingredient in pet food usually described as animal by-product rather than horse meat, these issues must be clarified in the interests of the good name of the companies involved in the processing of burgers here. It would be helpful for the Minister to name the companies and to state whether a connection exists between the Dutch and Spanish companies and the Irish companies.

It is also poignant for many people from a socioeconomic point of view because some of the people who bought burgers in the outlets such as those named here this morning are among those most in need. If this contamination was deliberate then effectively people most in need are being abused by companies either inside or outside the country.

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I welcome the reform measures that enable us to debate this key issue which is being discussed in the national newspapers and in our communities.

I acknowledge that testing has taken place and it is positive that active testing is taking place in the State. This was discovered and acted upon by the Minister. Food labelling is a major issue. We should recognise that it could become a food safety issue if food processors do not know what is in the ingredients they purchase. I accept the statements today to the effect that this is currently not a food safety issue but rather a labelling issue. My colleagues have raised the issues already and therefore I will focus on food labelling. I hope the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine will work with the Minister for Health to address the points I raise.

The traceability of ingredients is another issue of concern because of how food is produced and marketed in Ireland and elsewhere. Meat, including chicken, pork and beef, is being raised in other countries, imported to Ireland and processed and butchered here. It is not acceptable that such meat can be labelled as produced in Ireland. This is putting severe pressure on our farmers. It is misleading to compare a meat product that has been born, raised, butchered and processed in Ireland with foreign imports. Food producers, retailers, restaurants and caterers should have to specify where their meat comes from.

Irish people have a right to know to allow them to support Irish products. It ensures consumers know whether they are eating Irish products.

I have raised the issue of food labelling on a number of occasions. The Ministers for Health and Agriculture, Food and the Marine must address it as a matter of urgency. It is not enough to label a product as containing Irish beef; all the ingredients must be labelled. We are seeing substantial additives being used to bulk up low-cost foods in particular. As Deputy Ferris said, it is mainly those in economic stress who are looking for cheaper options. We must ensure through a strong labelling process that those people are protected.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I wish to make it clear at the outset that from birth, via the suckler cow welfare scheme, through to slaughter, Irish cattle are the most traceable in the world. Traceability is only as good as its weakest link. Traditionally, this has been a difficulty with processed food products rather than with beef carcass and cuts which make up the vast majority of Irish beef exports.

There are two aspects to the issue before the House. First is the trace contamination of beef products by equine and porcine DNA which must be investigated fully and any manufacturer who cannot guarantee non-contaminated ingredients for the food industry removed from the system. Second is the disclosure that one fifth of a burger product contained equine meat. The AIBP group which is at the centre of attention has focused in recent years on becoming the preferred partner of major retailers in Ireland and Britain. While I do not believe the company would put this valuable business in jeopardy by deliberately including equine meat in its product, I cannot accept that such a significant content of equine meat mistakenly ended up in a product labelled as beef. It was either a deliberate act or an instance of gross incompetence at some point in the supply chain. Investigations must not only take place internationally to source the contamination and to discover how it happened, but someone must pay dearly for undermining the integrity of the food chain.

The AIBP group handles over one quarter of the total beef kill in Ireland and just under a quarter in Britain. It seems bizarre that the largest single processor in Ireland or the UK would import beef from continental Europe to a country which has 900% self-sufficiency and is the fourth-largest exporter of beef in the world. Consumers and the thousands of families nationally who rely on our beef industry need honest and clear answers quickly. It is what they deserve.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister has two minutes.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Given the number Deputies who have asked questions, I ask the Chair for some leniency on time.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Minister can revert for two minutes.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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People will have a copy of my speech, all of which I will not be able to read out in four minutes. I will go as far as I can.

As the House is aware, the results of laboratory tests provided to my Department by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on 14 January 2013 revealed the presence of non-beef DNA in some beef products. This generally involved trace or minute amounts of porcine or equine DNA with the exception of one burger product which had a high level of equine DNA. My Department works under a service contract to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on food safety matters and, as has been the case in previous instances, both bodies are working together to address this matter. The authority and Department operate as part of a coherent, multi-layered control system designed to ensure the highest standards of food safety. The authority and Department work closely to ensure the safety of Irish food in accordance with strict EU and national regulatory requirements. The system is completely transparent. We identify and respond wherever a problem is detected. It is important to note that this is the system which identified the problem which demonstrates that it is working. While the problem is not one of food safety as such, it was identified by our systems.

I stress that it is national policy on food safety that consumer protection takes priority and that concerns for public health or confidence in food products are brought promptly to public attention. It is for this reason that the Food Safety Authority of Ireland published the results yesterday. While the authority has provided assurances that no food safety issues arise in this instance, there are clearly issues to be addressed in respect of confidence in the quality of the products concerned. Those issues are now being addressed in the full investigation which I have initiated. Experience has taught us that openness, transparency and early action are vital to maintaining consumer confidence in these cases and those have been the underlying principles in the instant case.

On receipt of the laboratory results from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland last Monday afternoon and notwithstanding that it said there was no food safety issue involved, my Department commenced a full-scale investigation. The priority is to ensure that the source of the ingredients which gave rise to this problem is found quickly and remedial action taken. That is critical to ensuring there is no question mark over the quality of beef products from Ireland given our collective obligation to ensure the integrity of the food production chain. The investigation is focusing on the individual ingredients used in the manufacture of the affected batch. A number of these individual ingredients were imported into the State. There is no evidence from the investigation so far to show that the manufacturer knowingly imported equine meat to use in the production of these burgers and further investigations and DNA testing of product manufactured yesterday will bring clarity to this preliminary conclusion within 48 hours of tests being carried out.

There has been some comment on the sequence of events and I wish to set the record straight. The first samples were taken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland as part of one of its snapshot surveys at retail level in early to mid-November. Those samples were sent for analysis to a private laboratory. In December, the authority took further samples at retail level and again had them analysed in a private laboratory in Ireland. Following this process, the initial samples which tested positive were sent for analysis in late December to a laboratory in Germany to confirm the accuracy of the initial tests. Obviously, there was concern about the results. Separately, my Department was requested by the authority on 21 December 2012 to take samples of ingredients at the two processing plants of concern. The results from the German laboratory were received by the authority last Friday, 11 January 2013, and my Department was informed on Monday last. A meeting took place between my Department and the authority on the same day at which the results were presented and their implications evaluated and discussed. My Department set in train a full-scale investigation. Subsequently, the authority met representatives of the food processors and retailers concerned and published the results of the tests.

I turn to the market response. The companies involved have carried out their own urgent investigation and withdrawn product from the market. In the case of Silvercrest, that amounts to some 10 million burgers. It is a significant response and an appropriate one. Retailers have also voluntarily withdrawn affected product from their shelves. While it is too early to assess the impact, if any, on food exports, I am disappointed with this development, particularly when the industry has been performing so strongly to reach record export levels in 2012. The industry's success is based on robust relationships with premium customers which have been built up over an extended period and are capable of withstanding challenges. My aim is to ensure that everything possible is done to restore consumer confidence. I have asked Bord Bia to work with the industry to explain the facts to international markets. We have a reputation for dealing openly and quickly with all food related issues once identified which will stand to us internationally.

Primary responsibility for the safety and quality of food placed on the market lies with food business operators who must implement food safety management systems based on HACCP principles. This is subject to a series of official controls which are applied vigorously at different stages in the food supply chain to verify compliance by businesses with food safety management systems. My Department has a permanent veterinary presence at all export-approved slaughtering plants. Controls at stand-alone processing plants are based on audits and inspections which are carried out by my Department's staff based on risk assessment.

In accordance with the official risk assessment, the plant in question was subject to monthly inspections in 2012 and my Department carried out a full inspection last December.

Under the Department's national residue programme, some 30,000 samples taken at farm and factory level and covering a wide range of foodstuffs are tested annually. These tests normally relate to microbiological and chemical standards focused on food safety and in accordance with EU testing requirements. DNA testing is not required under EU legislation and is not generally in use in respect of food production and safety. It has, however, been deployed in recent times as part of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's food fraud control activities and these results arose as a result of that control programme.

The investigation arising from the DNA findings is continuing and the Department and Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, will incorporate the results when found to ensure that we maintain the highest food safety and quality standards within the Irish food production system. As the investigation reaches finality I will, of course, come back to this House and update it on the details concerned.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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In view of the importance of the issue, I decided not to cut anybody off. Deputy Ó Cuív has one minute in which to ask a question.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle. It was important that the full reply was on the record of the House and I am glad the Ceann Comhairle facilitated that. We need openness, transparency and decisiveness. It is very important that we get absolute clarity about what is happening and assurances that it cannot happen again.

Can the Minister clarify on what basis it is being said - the word of the factory or the knowledge of the FSAI - that the equine product was imported? It is very important for us to get to the bottom of that issue once and for all. We know that up to 30% of the equine product was found in one case. Can the Minister give us details of the level of pigmeat contamination, which I understand was minuscule? Could the Minister reassure people as to how minuscule that was?

Is the Minister willing to accept the invitation of the chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to appear before it next week with the FSAI so we can have a full and reasoned discussion on this issue and collectively in the Oireachtas be seen to deal with this matter in an agreed manner?

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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It is very important for the Minister to name the companies in the Netherlands and Spain and tell us whether any of them or any of the companies that distributed the product here were owned by Larry Goodman. It is also important for the Minister to outline sanctions for the companies involved if any underhand work has been carried out in respect of quite substantial damage to the industry in this country. All of us have been very reserved and responsible in trying to ensure we do everything in our power to ensure the industry retains its good name rather than engaging in point scoring. If ingredients coming here from another jurisdiction are sold as Irish beef and have been contaminated by produce outside the country, this situation exposes the fallacy of traceability.

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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We need regulation to cover how food is labelled and marketed with misleading labels. We need clarity about the source of proteins and fillers in food and must act either with regulation or legislation. Transparency is needed and we need to address this issue now with strong rules on labelling and traceability so that people know and have confidence in what they are buying. The Irish food industry has been done a significant disservice through the importation of these products as basically fillers. I have confidence that the Minister will act speedily and for future confidence, we need much stronger regulation in respect of labelling. The EU scheme of geographic indicators is not the solution and needs to go much further.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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I have a few brief questions for the Minister. In respect of the burger of which one fifth was of equine origin, was the contaminated product meat or bulking agent? Does the Minister agree that supermarkets must take responsibility and stand over what they sell, especially at the lower end of the market? The public is confused about the terms "produced in Ireland" and "produce of Ireland". Both those terms are very different, as the Minister knows, but EU substantial transformation rules have added to the confusion experienced by the public on a daily basis. What can the Minister do as head of the Council of Ministers to streamline that? Can he clarify whether any of the plants involved in the Netherlands and Spain process equine meat products?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I will try to answer those questions as best I can. Some of the answers are not complete yet because we must wait until we have the full facts. In respect of Deputy Ó Cuív's questions, I would be happy to come before the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to debate this issue. I might not be able to do it next week because I am due to be in Brussels for much of the week.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Could officials come before the committee?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We will do it as soon as we can and if I cannot do it, someone from the Department will do it. We need to get the full facts first, be that next week or in a fortnight's time. Obviously, I want to ensure we respond to this in as appropriate a way as possible. This is a significant industry for Ireland. One is talking about well over 100,000 jobs and an industry worth about €3 billion in exports alone. We need to ensure we do everything possible to maintain Ireland's reputation as a quality producer of food from a traceability and safety point of view.

The FSAI's press release stated that traces of horse DNA were also detected in batches of raw ingredients including some imported from the Netherlands and Spain. I want to make it clear that does not necessarily mean that companies from the Netherlands and Spain are responsible for this. In respect of some of the work we have already done in Silvercrest, they are dealing with companies in the UK, for example, in terms of importing product. The place where food originates is not necessarily where the company responsible for putting that product together and selling it into an Irish company originates. That is the kind of complex trail we need to follow to ensure we find out who is responsible, ensure it cannot happen again and put systems in place to do that. I do not want simply to scapegoat two countries but it is a fact that the FSAI referred to those two countries as a source of some of the material that came into the processor concerned.

We will name companies and I can assure Deputy Martin Ferris that if there are inappropriate linkages, we will highlight those. As far as I can see, there has been no linkage to date between some of the companies that sold product in relating to ownership of companies but, again, let us wait and see until we have a full picture because there are multiple sources for some of this product. That is the reality of the food industry.

Labelling is a very complex matter to solve. If there was to be a label on every food product which itemised where every product within that food came from, one would face a very difficult task putting an appropriate label on a pizza, for example, in terms of where all the individual products came from, be they olives, onions, fruit etc., and likewise in this sector. Having said that, what has happened here is totally unacceptable and we need to find a solution for it.

This problem may have been caused not by a lack of regulations but by a lack of respect for those regulations and the need to enforce them. Common standards across the European Union require full traceability and accurate labelling. If a product comes from one European country into another and is labelled incorrectly, that is a matter of enforcement rather than new regulation. We are collectively examining the issue of traceability and country of origin labelling at European level. This incident will help to inform that ongoing debate in terms of the need for more accurate labelling on country of origin.

The type of burger concerned was a frozen product comprising 63% meat, with the remaining ingredients including onion and other filler protein. The protein should have been derived from a beef-sourced product. It is of concern that 29% of the meat content of the burger was horse meat, which means that 20% was horse meat overall. It is difficult to explain how that happened and we are taking a tough line with everybody involved to ensure we get the full facts so that we can provide an explanation to this House at the earliest opportunity, because consumers and, most important, buyers of Irish food across the world need to know we are on top of the matter.

This incident involved a small segment of the Irish food industry. The frozen burgers concerned were sold predominantly in the Irish and British markets. The vast majority of the beef we export to 165 different countries is fresh meat either on the carcass or processed in some way. However, even though this issue is specific to frozen burgers in a particular price category, we need to enforce the same standards, because every consumer, regardless of what he or spends on food in Ireland, is entitled to the same assurances and quality control systems.

We are taking this matter very seriously but it does not give rise to food safety issues. It is not like the dioxin scare in pork or a disease scare in animals. There is no threat to human safety. It is a question of traceability and labelling. It has been flagged because we have a structured and comprehensive system of checks. We will get to the bottom of the matter and do everything we can to ensure it does not happen again.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister to clarify how small were the traces of pigmeat in the other burgers.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In most cases they were minuscule. In one case they comprised 15%, but it subsequently emerged that the label on that product stated that it contained pigmeat. The meat processor concerned contacted us to complain that it was being lumped in unfairly with the other products. The vast majority of products contained less than 1% and in most cases the amount was closer to 0.1%. This quantity of pigmeat can be explained by the way in which we produce and transport food. A refrigerated lorry that carried pigmeat a few weeks ago may still contain a tiny molecule of pig DNA even after it has been power-hosed and cleaned. It is important that we put this matter into context. However, that does not explain the presence of horse meat, which is a serious issue deserving full investigation.