Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Martin that people should know, and have a right to know, what they are eating and the content of processed food in particular. There should be no differentiation in that knowledge between people who purchase expensive cuts of meat and those who purchase less expensive processed meat. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine briefed the Government on this matter yesterday. I spoke with him about it this morning and I am happy to make available to the Deputy the information that his Department supplied. The Minister himself will be willing to make whatever information he can available and will, I am sure, make himself available to answer Members' questions at the appropriate time.

The Food Safety Authority has made clear that the results of the survey do not show a public health risk and that this is not a food safety issue. It is important to clarify that for consumers and the industry. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Food Safety Authority are working closely to identify exactly how this situation occurred. On receipt of the laboratory results from the Food Safety Authority, the Department commenced a full-scale investigation. The priority is to ensure that the source of this problem is uncovered and appropriate action is taken to ensure there is no question mark over the quality of beef products from Ireland. The investigation is focusing on the individual ingredients used in the manufacture of the affected batch. A number of these individual ingredients were imported into the State. The Food Safety Authority sampled 19 salami products, 31 beef meal products and 27 frozen burger products in a targeted survey of the authenticity of such products available from retail outlets in Ireland. The findings of the laboratory tests provided by the Food Safety Authority to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on 14 January revealed the presence of equine DNA in some beefburger products as well as trace or minute amounts of porcine DNA.

The survey results showed the presence of equine DNA at a high level - 29% of the meat content of one particular sample of frozen burger.

On receipt of the laboratory results, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine immediately initiated an investigation at the plant which had produced the burger and showing the higher level in order to determine the source of the equine DNA. The investigation is focusing on the individual ingredients used in the manufacture of the affected batch, a number of the ingredients of which were imported into the State. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, published the findings of the survey on 15 January and emphasised that there was no food safey risk. It also stated the retailers which sold the products, Tesco, Dunnes, Lidl, Aldi and Iceland, were removing all of the implicated batches from sale.

The detailed results are: 31 beefmeal products were tested, of which 21 showed trace or very low levels of porcine DNA and all of which were negative for equine DNA. Some 19 salami products were tested, all of which were negative for equine DNA. A total of 27 beefburger products were tested. With the one exception mentioned that showed a very high level, there were ten with trace or very low levels of equine DNA and 23 with trace or very low levels of porcine DNA. I can supply the Deputy with the details and the timeline in which the tests were carried out, if he so wishes.

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