Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 326: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food further to Parliamentary Question No. 162 of 23 June 2005 if she has received a copy of the video in question and if so when; if she has viewed the video; the steps she intends to take on foot of this video; if she believes that it is acceptable that any official in her department should witness such a process without expressing any concerns or disquiet on animal welfare grounds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23305/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I have not received a copy of the video in question, which my Department requested from the journalist concerned on 17 June. As soon as it has been furnished, it will be viewed and immediate consideration will be given to what action if any might be taken in relation to its content.

As I explained in my reply to Question No. 162 on 23 June, this event occurred during July 2002, almost three years ago, and involved the slaughter on-farm by the herd owner of some 4,000 pigs over a five-day period. The slaughter occurred following the discovery by Department veterinary inspectors of quantities of Carbadox on the farm, an admission by the herd owner that he had spread the substance on the floors of pig pens and the prohibition by the Department of the movement of any animals from this herd, except under specific licence from the Department, in the period preceding slaughter in order to protect public health. Carbadox is a carcinogen, cancer-causing substance, which is banned by the EU and deemed to be unsafe at any level. Prosecutions have since been issued against the herd owner, alleging a range of offences relating to the use of this feed additive and other matters, including the illegal movement of pigs from the farm. The herd owner has issued proceedings against the Department under two headings.

While there was no question of permitting the pigs to be slaughtered for human consumption, the Department wrote to the herd owner's solicitors on 7 May 2002 explicitly stating its willingness to allow him to pursue the option of his making arrangements, acceptable to the Department, with a dedicated plant for their slaughter. However, he elected not to pursue this option.

Instead, he sought permission to slaughter the pigs himself on his farm on welfare grounds. He had discussed this approach with Department veterinary inspectors and they are satisfied that he understood fully what would be involved and that he displayed both the competence and confidence to undertake the task.

During the five-day period, two veterinary inspectors, including an animal welfare expert, from the Department visited the farm on numerous occasions in order to assess the ongoing slaughter operation. At no stage during the slaughter process did the herd owner express concerns or disquiet on animal welfare grounds in respect of the slaughter method or seek to suspend operations on grounds of professed animal welfare concerns. A non-veterinary official of the Department, whose primary function was ensuring proper disposal of the carcases — that is, to ensure they did not enter the human food chain — was present on the farm during the five-day period in question.

The circumstances in this case were highly unusual. On-farm slaughter of animals in any number is an exception rather than a rule and occurs only in extreme circumstances — for example, the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Cooley — where it is not possible to move the animals to a dedicated slaughter plant or where there are compelling reasons, such as fear of disease spread, for not attempting to so do. In this particular case, the herd owner had decided to slaughter his animals on-farm and the Department considered at the time that it could not legally have forced him to have the operation conducted in a slaughter plant.

The approach which the Department generally employs in circumstances in which it proves necessary to have numbers of animals slaughtered — for example, cattle where BSE is detected — is to have slaughter carried out at a dedicated slaughter plant.