Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 420: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the success or otherwise of her efforts to discourage misleading re-labelling of meat or meat products; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25002/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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A range of actions have already been undertaken by my Department in implementing the recommendations of the food labelling group which examined in detail the complex area of food labelling. One of the more important recommendations which has been implemented was the centralisation of overall responsibility for the enforcement of food labelling legislation in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. Food business operators who mislead consumers in believing that food which is not of Irish origin is Irish may be committing an offence under existing food labelling legislation and any such instances should be brought to the attention of the FSAI.

The issue of substantial transformation, whereby products following import into the EU may be described after processing as a product of a particular member state, is of particular concern to me if this procedure is used to mislead consumers. I have raised this issue directly with the Commission on a number of occasions and indeed have been in contact with the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Mr. Kyprianou, again last month about the matter. The Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection is in the process of examining the current food labelling legislation. I have again raised this concern as part of submission to the Commission.