Dáil debates

Tuesday, 24 April 2018

Questions on Promised Legislation

 

3:25 pm

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On food labelling laws - and this goes back to the programme for Government - it was recently brought to my attention that companies packaging foreign meat in Ireland, especially pig meat, are using loopholes to sell their products to consumers as Irish meat. All they have to do is print "ES" for Spain or "DK" for Denmark on the packaging and then confuse consumers by including an Irish name and a picture of our national flag. The latter makes it seem that what is contained in the package is domestic meat when it is, in fact, of foreign origin. If these companies import meat and slice it, they can then state that it Irish meat. It is like our Lord turning water into wine.

It is ridiculous and wrong. It is hurting our own people in the sector and is misleading the public, who think they are buying Irish meat.

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