Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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If we can do it for the bovine industry, which we have done competently, particularly from 1996 onwards, and the amount of work that has been done on traceability all the way through has made sure we are the world leader, I am lost for words to think why we do not have the same scenario. If I, as a farmer myself, had an animal on the farm that was not registered, I would be breaking every law in the land and that animal would not be on that farm if it was over 42 days of age unregistered because the Department would rightly move in. I do not understand why we have not had the same approach when it comes to this industry. For the life of me, I do not understand how we are in this situation, after what we saw in 2013 and after the experience of what happened in BSE in 1996.

The third phase of this investigation is probably the most important phase. My question refers to the lessons within the Department and who is to run that phase. Has the Department come up with a proposal of who will be the person, entity or body that will look at how we need to make sure that this does not happen again? We have, effectively, as a nation, left product get into the food chain that is potentially not suitable for human consumption. That is exceptionally damaging for the State and I fundamentally believe the third phase of the investigation is potentially the most important one.