Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 404: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has satisfied herself that the use of meat and bone meal in animal feed stuffs has been discontinued entirely; if there have been breaches of this regulation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24985/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In December 2000 the EU introduced a total ban on the use of certain proteins derived from mammals, including mammalian meat and bone meal (MBM), in the diets of farmed animals. The ban remains in place.

Staff of my Department operate a range of controls, some of which have been in place since 1996, to ensure that MBM is not included either deliberately or inadvertently in feed intended for farmed animals. Regular checks are carried out at rendering plants, where MBM is produced, and in relation to the transport and storage of MBM. In addition, and to further ensure that this total ban is enforced effectively, the Department has increased the level of sampling for animal proteins. To date, in excess of 14,000 samples have been analysed. This includes the sampling of all bulk consignments of feed materials, along with extensive sampling of compound feedingstuffs and on-farm sampling. Between January 2001 and November 2004, bone fragments were detected in only five cases. In each case the source of contamination was an imported feed material and it is felt they occurred as a result of cross-contamination, rather than deliberate inclusion. Since then, no other case containing bone fragments has been detected. The report of the last inspection mission carried out in June 2002 by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) of the European Commission concluded "The feed ban is implemented in Ireland and under official supervision." The controls operated by my Department are adequate and are kept under constant review.

The legislative basis for the controls and uses of animal by-products including MBM is Regulation (EC) 1774/2002, which came into effect on 1 June 2003. Under this Regulation Category 3 MBM, which is derived from animal's deemed fit for human consumption, can be used in dried petfood. For a number of years, because of concerns in relation to BSE, national legislation went beyond EU legislation and prohibited the use of Category 3 MBM in petfood. During 2005 the situation was reviewed, having regard to the EU legislation, the declining number of BSE cases and the fact that some legally imported petfood containing Category 3 MBM was coming in to Ireland from other EU countries. I was also conscious of the need to provide productive outlets for the disposal of certain animal by-products where these do not pose a risk to public or animal health. I decided in all the circumstances to allow the use of Category 3 MBM in the manufacture of dried packaged petfood. SI 248 of 2003 was amended by SI 707 in November 2005 to introduce this change. Strict conditions apply in the petfood manufacturing process and controls are in operation covering the receipt of MBM in sealed bags; microbiological testing for salmonella; the need for a dedicated intake/ storage area; and facilities for the safe disposal of unused MBM through rendering or incineration.