Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 871: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to ensure full and adequate labelling and traceability of Irish farm produce especially beef; her views on reports of some hotels and restaurants falsely selling and advertising imported beef as Irish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24820/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Traceability and labelling of Irish farm produce is an area accorded priority by my Department. Sophisticated traceability systems for cattle, sheep and pigs have been developed and implemented in recent years. In addition, the labelling of foodstuffs was examined by a food labelling group and the main recommendations of that group have been implemented, in particular the centralisation of enforcement of food labelling legislation through the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI. In respect of beef, we already have in place a full identification, traceability and labelling system under comprehensive EU regulations. The labelling requirements under those regulations extend up to and including retail level and to the point of delivery into hotels, restaurants and catering establishments.

My next priority in this area is to extend the existing beef labelling laws to require information on the 'country of origin' of beef to be provided to all consumers in the restaurant and catering sectors. I put specific proposals to Government at the end of June for a legislative framework to facilitate this, by way of an amendment to the 1947 Health Act. This will be introduced under the Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005, which is before the Oireachtas this session. The appropriate regulations are being worked on concurrently and it is my intention to have these cleared at EU level as soon as possible. When the Act is amended and the regulations made, 'country of origin' information will be available to consumers in respect of all beef served in restaurants, hotels and the whole catering sector in Ireland on a mandatory basis.

In the meantime, the various representative bodies including the Irish Hotels Federation, the Restaurants Association of Ireland and both of the vintners groups have all agreed to recommend to their members the introduction on a voluntary basis of a mechanism for providing consumers in their premises, with information on the country of origin of the beef served there, in advance of the mandatory legal requirement. I expect this voluntary system will be in place in the very near future.

I am aware of reports that some food service outlets may be misleading consumers on the origin of the beef served in their premises. My planned legislation will require the operators of such premises to provide consumers with "country of origin" information in respect of such beef and the necessary enforcement provisions will be applied.