Results 2,321-2,340 of 18,449 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I understand the difficulty. The Deputy's constituency colleague, the Taoiseach, and I met the processors twice.

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: There is also a Cavan connection with Rosderra Meats, as Deputy Ó Caoláin said.

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: We spoke at a very senior level to representatives of the European Commission yesterday. If a Government programme is put in place we will need to get state aid approval anyway. We outlined to the European Commission that this is an emergency that is outside the control of the particular industry. We outlined that we would naturally seek support for aid to private storage and that we would...

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I disagree with Deputy Tom Hayes. We made the correct decision. It was a very difficult decision to make — it was difficult for the industry, our country and everybody involved. However, we made the correct decision and I stand over it, as does the Government. Every party representative I know who spoke on behalf of his or her party echoed that strongly on Saturday night. Earlier I...

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I want to see as much Irish food as possible consumed on our island and elsewhere, but the reassuring message that goes out to our consumers about the quality of our food is very important. I heard comments from eminent scientists and medical people in the international media over the weekend, and every one of those eminent people said the Irish Government made the correct decision, although...

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: If Deputy Tom Hayes thinks product is coming in illegally or wrongly marked, he should talk to my office and I will be glad to pursue that matter.

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Johnny Brady. The plant at the centre of this has been closed since last Wednesday. We have been discussing the aid for private storage with the European Commission since yesterday. I have to talk to some of the senior people in the Commission again this evening. I got some indication, although I do not have confirmation, that some of the small processors have recommenced...

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: A validation process is in place. That is why I said we sent it out to the trade on Sunday evening.

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: If processor X sources a supply of pigs from farm Y, and farm Y can validly prove to the Department veterinary people and the FSAI——

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: ——that it has sourced pigs that had no connection with any of the farms or any of that feed, those people have the potential to be back in operation since Monday morning. That is very important. The trade notice that was issued stated: All pigmeat and pigmeat products produced from Irish pigs slaughtered from 7 December 2008 must be labelled in a manner that distinguishes it from other...

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I am talking about facilitating the people who slaughter. The trade notice also stated: "As and from 7 December 2008, pigs may not be slaughtered unless they are accompanied by a document indicating the source(s) of the animal feed used in the holding of origin." That clarification went out on Sunday evening or night to the trade. In response to Deputy Johnny Brady, I said earlier that...

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Dutch authorities contacted the Department and the FSAI on Friday evening, subsequent to our Department's publication of the notice that we had restricted farms. The communication came from the Dutch authorities on the Friday to both the Department and the FSAI.

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: Sorry — the question referred to the domestic context. The Department communicated with the FSAI from the first indication of worry. The chief medical officer at the Department of Health and Children was involved from Saturday morning. The man only took up his job on Thursday, but he was contacted. The FSAI has been in contact with the European Food Safety Authority. On Saturday we...

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: It was finished on Monday. To clarify, a few different prototype labels were made, and I saw them on Monday.

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: I want to be clear about this. Indicative tests on a sample of pork fat routinely taken under the Department's national residue monitoring programme were found to be positive for non-dioxin-like marker PCBs at the Department's laboratory at Backweston. That was on Friday 28 November, not September. Deputy Crawford, Deputy Ó Caoláin and I know many pig producers and people working in the...

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: An extremely important point was made by Deputy Creed and others. On Sunday, through the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, and his Department's senior management, we contacted all our embassies in the relevant countries and appraised them of the situation. We gave them a particular message to get out to the markets. Bord Bia has been in discussion with people who have...

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: A sample of pork was taken in a pig processing facility——

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: Yes. That was the first time. There was no indication from anybody before that. When the Dutch authorities were sampling products, this included products from any number of countries, so they could not pinpoint where it came from.

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: We circulate within the European Union——

Recall of Irish Pork and Bacon Products: Statements (9 Dec 2008)

Brendan Smith: No. We had no word from anybody.