Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My information is that the number of food safety and hygiene inspections carried out in 2017 was 3,657 and in 2018 it was 4,663. Then there were other controls. The controls associated with the issuing of health certificates for the export of meat and dairy products to third countries are considered to be other controls. They also encompass controls for new activities being carried out in existing approved plants, new approvals for new establishments, inspection visits in preparation for internal and external audits, the close-out of audits and inspection findings and ongoing specific checks for third country criteria. They amounted to 16,036 in 2018 and we anticipate approximately 16,000 of those in 2019 also.