Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Clearly, there was a breakdown last year, but that was because of blatant food fraud as opposed to a breakdown in the systems in place. Across the 28 member states of the European Union, we have comprehensive traceability requirements for the food industry. We have free movement of goods and food in the European Union but we also have a tight, strict system that is common to every country and which sets out the obligations on full traceability. One can have rules but if someone sets out to commit fraud and deliberately mislead, as happened in the case of horsemeat, one needs robust systems to expose it. That is why we have new systems in Ireland for DNA testing in the food industry which we never had before except on a pilot project basis. DNA testing is now carried out as part of the systematic food testing which takes place in Ireland. We will encourage the adoption of that approach in other European countries.

When the European Commission negotiates trade agreements with third countries outside the European Union, such as the recent agreement with Canada, a major aspect is a provision that the standards on traceability, safety, animal husbandry, hormones and genetically modified organisms which apply here also apply to producers exporting to the EU. The negotiation and inspection process involved is complex, which is why deals take a great deal of time to get across the line. We have been talking for three years about a potential trade deal with Mercosur countries in South America, but that has still gone nowhere. One of the reasons is the insistence that the standards which apply to food producers here are applied to food being brought into the European Union. There are some exceptions, but that is the principle behind the negotiations.

See this speech in context