Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and Professor Reilly to the committee. Over the past 20 years much hard work has been done by stakeholders in the meat industry to bring it to be worth €2 billion and much more to the economy. Farmers, the primary producers, have had to endure on-the-spot inspections which could result in penalties for minor incidents. There does not seem to be the same level of inspection in the meat processing plants like Silvercrest. Are the monthly audits unannounced or is prior notice given? Has any processing plant endured any penalties for failing to comply with standards?

Ireland exports 500,000 tonnes of beef every year. Why do we need to import 45,000 tonnes? If that amount of beef is available, why should Silvercrest have gone to Poland to import this particular contaminated product? Is it not available here or is the Irish equivalent too expensive? We have heard much talk about the middlemen meat traders. Is there a list of these traders? Are they registered and licensed? What regulatory system is in place for them?

I welcome the Garda investigation into this matter. Has it a particular timeframe? Everyone will agree the sooner this particular issue is taken off the agenda, the better. From the Minister's perspective, there are many important negotiations going on in Europe which will have consequences for the country's future. It is important this issue is brought to a conclusion as soon as possible. While it is important the investigation is detailed so as to get to the bottom of this matter, a definite timescale should be in place.

Ireland's reputation is very much at stake in this regard. The Minister summed it up when he said the management of Silvercrest left a lot to be desired. How long has this management team been in place? If it has been such a bad team, how has it survived so long to bring us to the stage of doing serious damage to the industry and bringing the whole industry down around it?