Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 168: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if craft butchers will be exempted from hygiene two; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18176/06]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Hygiene 1 — Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs — applies to all food business operators, including retail butchers, and requires that essential hygiene controls appropriate to retail enterprises, are implemented. Hygiene 2 — Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin — applies to all food business operators involved in the supply of food of animal origin to outlets other than the final consumer and requires that more rigorous food safety controls, appropriate to wholesale activity, are implemented. In practice, most 'retail' butchers in Ireland have some element of wholesale activity and thus would be categorised as Hygiene 2 premises. However, the regulation gives Member States the discretion to extend or limit the application of the requirements of Hygiene 2 under national law, if they consider that the requirements of Hygiene 1 are sufficient to achieve food safety objectives and when the wholesale supply of food of animal origin is a marginal, localised and restricted activity.

I have had extensive discussions with the Minister for Agriculture and Food, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland in this regard and I am satisfied that the requirements of Hygiene 1 are sufficient to achieve food safety objectives in most butcher premises. I therefore intend to avail of the discretion provided for in Hygiene 2 and will shortly bring forward regulations to define the terms marginal, localised and restricted