Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

All of Deputy Ó Cuív's comments were directed at Professor Reilly so I will let him get his thoughts together and I will deal with Deputy Heydon's questions. We are all very familiar with the inspection system and the system of traceability for farmers. In respect of how that compares with the risk assessment and inspections we have in factories, the truth is that there are many more inspections in factories than there are of farmers. This is how it should be, because of the volumes of food going through. We are required under regulation to inspect up to 4% of farms that draw down the single farm payment. Otherwise, we lose the single farm payment in what are called disallowances, so we are required to do that. There are other inspections on farms and it is because of those inspections that we can stand over the food produced on Irish farms, command higher prices for it and carve out new markets all over the world.

In respect of inspections in factories, we have a permanent presence in slaughterhouses. We do a risk assessment of all other processing facilities and depending on the results of those assessments, as is consistent with EU regulations, we put in place an inspection system that meets that risk and goes way beyond what is required of us in terms of the number of inspections.

As already stated, in 2011 we carried out more than double the number of inspections required of us in respect of our sector.

There has been a great deal of comment - much of this is understandable - as to why a country such as Ireland which produces a great deal of beef would be importing beef product, even low-end trimmings. Of the ingredients that go into Rangeland's burgers, 89.7% comprise Irish beef. The company imports some other product from a number of EU countries. The product from Poland comprises 3.5% of the material which goes into its burgers. These products represent a very small percentage of the ingredients used but they have caused a major problem. It is important to reassure farmers and people who are interested in and have knowledge of the food supply chain in Ireland that the vast majority of meat used in this instance and in the case of Silvercrest consists of Irish beef.

On market reaction, I will be receiving another update from Bord Bia this evening. The research it has carried out to date - which is mainly focused on Ireland, the UK and, to a certain extent, other EU member states - strongly suggests that both the media coverage and consumer concerns are, by and large, confined to Ireland and the UK. It also indicates that consumers are smart enough to be able to isolate this issue to one product - it relates, after all, to cheap frozen burgers - as opposed to making a connection to the broader Irish beef industry. Bord Bia's research was conducted in the cities of Manchester and London in Britain and in Mullingar in Ireland. For the purposes of the research, people were interviewed in shops and on the streets in order to try to obtain some market reaction and supply me with the information I require in order to identify what we need to do to respond to this problem.

A question was asked on whether the ingredients are thawed out before being used to make burgers, which are then frozen. The answer in this regard is "No". I learned this when I visited Silvercrest and examined the systems used there. Essentially, what happens is that frozen product is brought into the plant and is kept in cold storage at approximately -20° Celsius. The product is then lifted out in blocks and placed in mixing bins. The ingredients are mixed up in a frozen state and are never thawed out. The pace at which the material moves through the cycle ensures that it is never allowed to thaw out. This means that the burgers are put together while the ingredients are frozen. When they are completed, the burgers are placed in a deep-freeze state in order to prevent them from sticking together. Under this process, the burgers are frozen to a temperature of -50° Celsius and they become rock-hard. They are then separated into groups of six and packaged up. As a result of the deep-freeze system, they do not stick together. What I have just outlined is very much a layman's description of what I saw when I visited Silvercrest. One of my concerns in respect of this matter related to a belief that material that went onto the line and was thawing out but was not fully used would be thrown back into the mixing bins. However, I need not have been concerned because, as far as I could see and given the way the process works, the material never thaws out. That is the way it is supposed to work. I apologise if I have provided too much detail in respect of what happens during the mixing process but I am of the view that it is of interest in light of the matters we are considering.

There are no regulations with regard to required meat content in a burger. Many artisan food companies put cheeses, spices and many other ingredients into burgers, which is as it should be. This is why people have contractual relationships with their customers.

I stated that what emerged yesterday was not a surprise because we were aware that the same product used by Silvercrest had also been sold to other companies. That product came from the same sources and had similar labels attached. It was provided by a meat supplier who had supplied similar product to Silvercrest. I was not surprised that the product in question tested strongly positive for equine DNA. I would actually have been surprised if this had not proven to be the case. That is why I stated that it was not a new or significant revelation. Unfortunately, there is now a new company involved but the actual product is the same one that caused the problem at Silvercrest.

In the context of a timeline, as soon as we can have this matter dealt with in a comprehensive fashion we will do so. Our team will be working intensively to get it done. Everyone is very conscious of the damage that this matter is doing while firm conclusions are not forthcoming.