Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 30: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the progress which has been made on the introduction of full labelling of all meat and meat products; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5929/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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An enabling provision to allow for the extension of our comprehensive beef labelling regulations to include a requirement for information on the country of origin of beef to be provided to the consumer at the point of choice, by establishments in the retail, restaurant and catering sectors, including food business operators, is at present before the Oireachtas by way of a proposed amendment to section 54 of the 1947 Health Act through the Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill.

My Department is well advanced in drafting the consequential beef regulations which will be required and is currently in consultation with the Department of Health and Children and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on the details, including enforcement. While the regulations will then have to be submitted for EU approval, it is hoped that this process will not delay the making of the final regulations. In the meantime, the representative bodies for hotels, restaurants and pubs have agreed to recommend to their members to provide the information on a voluntary basis.

I have also written to the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection requesting that consideration be given to extending the rules in regard to country of origin labelling for poultry meat at EU level. I had previously raised the subject in the Agriculture Council some time ago and will continue to seek progress on the matter.

While the proposed enabling legislation currently before the House will facilitate the extension of country of origin labelling to all meats, because of different traceability systems and some import/export complexities, it is not as straightforward as it is for beef. As with beef, EU approval would also be required. Notwithstanding these issues, I intend to pursue the matter of country of origin labelling at EU and national level.