Results 16,001-16,020 of 18,347 for speaker:Brendan Smith

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

Brendan Smith: The 6 September——

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

Brendan Smith: Pardon?

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

Brendan Smith: I apologise to Deputy Sheehan. That is a typographical error which I did not see and I apologise to the House. I am sure the Deputy knew it was not September.

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

Brendan Smith: Yes, there is. I remind Deputy McHugh I read it out to the House.

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

Brendan Smith: He is out of order.

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

Brendan Smith: With regard to Deputy Upton's point, PCBs are tested for in the feeding process. With regard to her point about Backweston laboratory and the dioxin facility, I am assured that it would have been a delay of a day at the very most. The Department officials are convinced that it was less than a day but rather a matter of hours. With regard to Deputy Penrose's point and it was a point also...

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

Brendan Smith: I have been informed that the wrapping is taken off by machines before the product, the unused food, goes back into the process.

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

Brendan Smith: Deputy Ó Caoláin normally does not listen to me.

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

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Gallagher who was on to me over the past several days on issues concerning processing in County Donegal. I will return to him on the mink farm alternative to rendering. We will continue to ensure there is adequate and immediate dialogue between the processing sector, the retailers, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and departmental and local authority veterinarians. I...

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

Brendan Smith: The most immediate problem is to get the processing sector up and working again. If it is not working, there will be problems everywhere. We have been concentrating on this at official and at political level, as well as the processors, the IFA and other representative groups. That is the way it will continue and how it will be brought to a successful conclusion.

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

Brendan Smith: As I said earlier, product that cannot be used will be disposed by category 1 rendering. On Sunday, we met the retailers who will be sending their product back to the processors. The Department will oversee this to ensure the products are properly disposed. With regard to Deputy Bannon's question, there is no issue with September. It was November when the Department traced it. The...

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

Brendan Smith: The EPA is carrying out an investigation on the oil used in the process. It is not appropriate for me to comment at this stage until I get the full report.

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

Brendan Smith: Regarding Deputy McEntee's point, the Department, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, will decide which facilities will be used. It will not be me; I do not have the scientific competence to decide that. The Department's approach will be based on safety and proper facilities to be used to dispose of a product. Regarding the point made by Deputy McHugh, my Department is...

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

Brendan Smith: I compliment Members on their positive and constructive contributions to the debate on this important issue. I assure Deputy Creed that no member state contacted the Department or the Food Safety Authority of Ireland before Friday of last week. We issued a statement on Thursday night to indicate we had restricted farms where non-dioxin marker PCB levels had been found. It was subsequent to...

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

Brendan Smith: I am keen to be fair to the two spokespersons.

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

Brendan Smith: We issued a trade notice on Sunday night. We stated publicly that those involved in the trade could start moving produce from slaughter houses and start processing, as long as they met the requirements of our veterinary services and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, one of which was the need to verify that the pigs they were about to slaughter, or had slaughtered, did not have any...

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

Brendan Smith: No. Such businesses do not receive notification.

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

Brendan Smith: No. The facility was due to be inspected in late November or early December of this year. It is important to make sure that the House is clear on this, as there may have been some misinformation in the public domain in this regard. In accordance with EU legislation, the Department's national feed inspection programme is part of the overall integrated annual control plan for this country....

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

Brendan Smith: We do. That takes place in the Backweston laboratory.

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

Brendan Smith: It was our sampling of a pork product that identified the source as the feed. That shows that the system——