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

Stephen Philpott, who heads up the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, USPCA, has expressed serious concerns about the trade in horsemeat. I recently heard him speaking about this on radio. The following morning I got someone from the Department to telephone him directly. There have been two, if not more, meetings since then between him, someone from my office and the special investigations unit to follow up on his concerns and get evidence upon which we can act. As well as that, we have engaged with the authorities in Northern Ireland and in the UK on the movement of horses. We will continue to do this. There will be no one more eager and proactive than me in exposing wrongdoing, if it is there. I need to act on evidence rather than rumour, however. After I read an article on this matter in The Sunday Times, I asked for a note to be put together on what we have done to reassure people on the horse movement issue. I will e-mail it to all committee members. If they want briefings on it, they can come back to me.

We have gone from 4,347 horses slaughtered in 2009 to nearly 24,000 last year. This is because people can no longer afford to keep horses. There is a significant problem with the abandonment of horses which is why there is a strong section on abandonment in the new animal welfare Bill. Local authorities have been given resources, along with new regulations, to deal with this problem. We are taking the accusations seriously but we have to build a case around it.

On the question of how many burgers that contained 29% of equine DNA were produced by Silvercrest, processors are required to keep library samples of batches that go through their systems. They keep them in cold storage for some time, so if there is a consumer problem there will be a sample to access. We tested the library samples from the same time as the 29% equine burger was produced. We tested a sample burger produced half an hour afterwards which actually tested 20% equine DNA. We also tested a burger produced half an hour before but there was not even trace element of equine DNA. What we suspect is that the ingredient product essentially had chunks of horsemeat in it which led to high levels of equine DNA in the burgers but in a sporadic way. It is a bit like crumpling up a packet of biscuits. Most of the biscuits are in small pieces but there are larger chunks. In the same ice block one will get trace elements of equine DNA and then suddenly a 75% spike. This suggests horsemeat is being added in an inconsistent way which is not good.

DNA testing will be part of our regulatory system. We need to work with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, the industry, retailers and consumer groups to put in place a practical and implementable system that will establish what is in food products and one that gives real value. This discussion began yesterday morning in the Department.

So far, from the data I have seen, all of the companies that have supplied product into the system that have tested positive for equine DNA are EU-certified companies. Accordingly, they should be subject to the same regulations as our companies are. We need to be in a position to trust systems in all European countries because we have an open market. The open market is a significant advantage to Ireland to sell its products. From what I know, the Polish authorities are implementing the regulations. However, one cannot regulate for a fraudster. If someone is deliberately putting horsemeat into the mix for profit, then the regulations cannot solve the problem. It is an enforcement issue.

It is important to note our systems uncovered this fraud. Much of the product was going to the UK yet it was the Irish systems that uncovered this from front-testing products from retail outlets in a targeted way. This is proof - partial proof anyway - that our systems are robust and working in uncovering fraud. We need to go through the ugliness of the trail to get to the bottom of this and see who was involved. This has resulted in newspaper headlines that are not good for the Irish food sector. So be it but we need to get to the bottom of it and move on afterwards.

I appeal to members not to claim this investigation as having already taken four months. As we established today, this investigation began on 15 January 2013 and we are now at the start of February. This was after the FSAI established there was a problem which it did in a professional and thorough manner. Once that was established, then the investigation began. The accusation that this has been going on for four months does not stand up to scrutiny.

I understand Deputy Seán Conlan's concerns about the jobs at Silvercrest. As the local Deputy, he is under pressure from families associated with the firm who want to know what the future holds for them. However, we have to be uncompromising in getting to the bottom of this for the sake of the entire food industry which employs over 200,000 people and has the potential to be a key driver for growth in the economy. In the meantime, I am also focusing on finding a way we can create a future for Silvercrest and its workers, as well as winning back contracts that have been lost as a result of this contamination. That is all I can say on the matter for the moment. There are industry players who are actively participating in trying to facilitate this. Hopefully, we will have positive news on that in the coming days.