Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will give a report on the incident of illegally imported Syngenta BT 10 GM maize, 2,500 tonnes of which was stored in a shed at a County Louth port; the action that was taken to deal with this incident; and the related action that has been taken since by her Department to protect Irish agriculture from contamination by genetically modified organisms. [12181/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In May 2005 a consignment of 2,500 tonne of maize gluten, which tested positive for the presence of the unauthorised GM event BT10, was imported into Ireland. My Department had received prior notification from the importer, while the material was in transit, that samples of the feed material had tested positive, in a US laboratory, for the presence of the unauthorised GM event.

The material was immediately impounded under the supervision of authorised officers of my Department on its arrival at Greenore port and held in a secured store located at the port pending arrangements being made by the importer for its re-dispatch and destruction.

In December 2005 the importer, having received the approval of my Department, exported the material to Holland for incineration. All the necessary cleaning of equipment and stores was carried out in accordance with the required procedures.