Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 288: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a ban will be implemented on imported meat from countries suffering from outbreaks of foot and mouth disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7377/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the principles of harmonisation of the internal market the EU operates as a single entity with regard to international trade. The European Commission therefore introduces safeguard measures that have EU-wide application limiting or banning the export of animal products from third countries where the conditions of an animal disease outbreak could seriously affect production and trade in animal products in the EU, or where there is risk to human health.

Measures for adoption by the Community restricting imports for human or animal health reasons are discussed and agreed at meetings of the standing committee on animal health and the food chain where senior veterinarians from all member states attend. In the application of such measures the Community will apply the regionalisation principle that can allow trade to continue from non-affected regions. This principle is fundamental to membership of the world Organisation of Animal Health, OIE, to which all members of the EU subscribe. It will be recalled that regionalisation was applied to trade here during the FMD outbreak in 2001. In practice, it means that where there is a disease outbreak, restrictions on trade are applied to products from the affected region while trade can continue from other unaffected parts of this country or region. Approval to import into the EU is suspended for the infected regions of the third country until the disease risk has been eliminated. Controls are operated by EU approved border inspection posts where all animal products being imported from third countries must be submitted for veterinary checks.

The Food and Veterinary Office of the EU, the FVO, assesses the production and hygiene controls in operation in third countries before they are approved to trade with the EU in animal products. It also carries out inspections to ensure that countries and their establishments meet hygiene and health standards equivalent to those operating within the EU. Where the FVO considers that public health requirements are not being met, an establishment may be removed from the EU approved list. The FVO also monitors the control measures adopted by approved third countries in the case of outbreak of animal disease.

Following confirmation of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on a farm in the Eldorado district of Mato Grosso do Sul in the southern part of Brazil, the European Commission immediately introduced proposals at the EU standing committee on the food chain and animal health,SCoFCAH, to suspend imports of de-boned and matured beef from the regions of Mato Grosso do Sul, Parana, and also Sao Paulo. Accordingly beef produced in the affected regions from cattle slaughtered since 29 September 2005 may not be traded.

In relation to the foot and mouth outbreak in the Corrientes region of Argentina, the standing committee at its meeting last week adopted a Commission proposal to regionalise the outbreak area and introduced a ban on imports of meats from the affected region with effect from 4 February 2006.