Results 15,981-16,000 of 18,347 for speaker:Brendan Smith

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.

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

Brendan Smith: No. The Dutch had no grounds to circulate the information to anybody because they had not identified the source or traced the problem back to a particular place. It was our investigations that initiated the train of actions that occurred.

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

Brendan Smith: Immediately on——

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

Brendan Smith: The Department examined where this particular pig producer was sourcing its supply of feed, and then immediately went to the facility and obtained the customer list.

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

Brendan Smith: What is the question?

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

Brendan Smith: No. The previous inspection——

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

Brendan Smith: No. I did not say that. I am talking about the facility in Carlow. The previous inspections did not show up any problems.

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

Brendan Smith: Is the Deputy talking about similar food-milling operations?

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

Brendan Smith: I have no information with me, but I will communicate with the Deputy this evening in that regard.

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

Brendan Smith: With regard to Deputy Doyle's point about Backweston which is a very modern, sophisticated laboratory——

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

Brendan Smith: No, that is not correct——

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

Brendan Smith: It is very much open and that is where the PCBs were identified. The situation is that a dioxin analysis element within it has not yet been validated and that is in the process of being established and being validated. There are some scientists here in the House who could explain it better. There has been significant investment in the laboratory and excellent work is being carried out...

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

Brendan Smith: Deputy O'Dowd asked about the other food business operator plants. Nothing unusual was noted in premises inspected. Other plants are inspected once or twice a year as well and nothing unusual was detected in any of those particular plants.

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

Brendan Smith: They were inspected. If Deputy Reilly had been here earlier he would have heard——

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

Brendan Smith: Deputy Timmins asked about the number of farms confirmed earlier today and the number is 45. In the words of the chief veterinary officer at the Department, there was a very thorough investigation of the central database of the Department with regard to herd movements and there could have been some movement of cattle from a number of farms but not the feed supply provided to those farms. I...

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

Brendan Smith: With regard to traceability of pork, I will take the last question. I apologise to Deputy Timmins because the other people were interrupting his questions. Pigs are identified by farm of origin, they are not identified individually. Traceability of pork at slaughter and afterwards is on the basis of batch produced which may be a day's production. My understanding is that this is the system...

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

Brendan Smith: The Food Safety Authority of Ireland and the Department have put in place a system. If the processor can validate that the product which was slaughtered and processed came from a pig herd which did not come into contact with the contaminated feedstuff, the two agencies working together can validate product for that processor.

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

Brendan Smith: No. We are talking about the recall of what was on the market. With regard to Deputy Sheehan's point, we got the e-mail or the telephone call at 3.40 p.m. on Saturday——