Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 411: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has satisfied herself that all food exports are fully labelled and traceable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24993/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The enforcement of food labelling regulations is centralised in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) who ensure that the appropriate controls are carried out by the relevant official agencies. The official agencies include the Health Service Executive, my Department, the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs and the local authorities.

My Department is in regular contact with officials of the FSAI in relation to the enforcement of food legislation, including legislation governing food labelling and traceability. I am satisfied that that proper controls are in place to ensure compliance with this legislation.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 412: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason food and food products imported from non-EU countries are being re-labelled and sold here under labels indicating Irish origin with particular reference to the poultry sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24994/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The general food labelling legislation, as set out in the EU Directive 2000/13/EC and implemented in this country by the European Communities (Labelling, Presentation and Advertising of Foodstuffs) 2003 regulations (S.I. 483/2002), requires that the labelling of foodstuffs must not mislead the consumer as to various properties of the food, including origin. Therefore there is a legal prohibition on claiming that any product, including poultrymeat, is Irish if it is not. These rules apply throughout the Community and the regulations are enforced here by the FSAI.

The EU poultrymeat marketing standards regulations require that all unprocessed poultrymeat coming from a non-EU country must bear an indication of that country on its label. Officers of my Department check that this law is being complied with. When such meat is imported into Ireland and is cut up and/or repackaged here before being placed on sale then the product will be stamped with the oval IRL health mark. This is a requirement of veterinary legislation that is in place throughout the EU and is an essential tool in facilitating traceability in the event, for example, of product recall. The IRL health mark must not be interpreted as an indicator of Irish origin. Officials of my Department monitor the correct application of health marks to meat. On the wider issue of EU policy on labelling, I have raised the issue of the need for country of origin labelling on imported products on a number of occasions within the Council of Ministers.

I am glad to say that the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate of the EU Commission has recently commenced a consultative process on a wide range of issues in this area, under a document entitled 'Labelling: Competitiveness, Consumer Information and Better Regulation for the EU'. I have arranged for my Department to make a submission on food labelling and country of origin labelling of meat in particular to the Department of Health and Children who are co-ordinating the Irish contribution to this process.