Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

In 2002 the Department's consumer liaison panel highlighted consumer concerns about food labelling. Subsequently, the food labelling group was established in July 2002 to examine the matter and to come forward with recommendations by the end of the year. The group, which was widely representative of the major stakeholders in the food chain, such as consumer interests, industry, Departments and agencies, presented its report to the Department in December 2002. An interdepartmental and agency committee to progress the recommendations contained in the report was established in April 2003 and met on five occasions. At its final meeting on 3 February 2004, the committee agreed that there was no need for further meetings of that committee as substantial progress had been made on the implementation of the food labelling group's recommendations and the remaining matters were being pursued by the appropriate agencies.

As regards the recommendations of the group, the position is that all recommendations except two have been fully addressed. The outstanding issues related to labelling of origin at certain outlets and the definition of substantial transformation. As regards the former, all beef sold or served in the retail or catering sector is now required by law to carry an indication of country of origin.

The primary legislation enacted by the Oireachtas last year, under which our beef labelling requirements on country of origin were extended to the catering sector, also allows for the extension of country of origin labelling to other meats. However, because different origin labelling requirements apply to other meats in the retail sector under current EU legislation, and different systems of traceability are in operation, coupled with some import-export complexities, the situation is not as straightforward as it is for beef. The European Commission has opposed member states introducing legislation in this area that is in excess of common EU requirements. Nonetheless, my Department has been involved in consultations with the Department of Health and Children on draft new regulations to require operators in the retail and catering sectors to provide country of origin information on poultrymeat, pigmeat and sheepmeat. It is intended to submit these regulations, when they are finalised, to the European Commission for approval, as required by EU legislation.

Of course, the preferred way forward is that the Commission would progress the question of country of origin labelling of all meat at EU level. The Minister has been in regular contact with the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection on this subject and also raised the issue in the Agriculture Council, and she will continue to take every opportunity to press for progress on this matter. The Minister has also used the opportunity provided by bilateral meetings with EU ministerial colleagues to seek their support for EU action on country of origin labelling and so far has been encouraged by their response.

Last year the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate of the European Commission undertook a consultative process on a wide range of issues in this area, under a document entitled "Labelling: Competitiveness, Consumer Information and Better Regulation for the EU". I arranged for the Department to make a submission on food labelling and country of origin labelling of meat through the Department of Health and Children, which co-ordinated the Irish contribution to this process. This confirmed our strong preference for origin labelling of meat and meat products, and the desirability of there being common EU-wide legislation to support a labelling regime. I also ensured that the second outstanding issue, namely, the definition of substantial transformation, was raised in the submission to the Commission.

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