Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 467: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to introduce country of origin labelling for poultry and poultry products; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33031/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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We already have EU Regulations which provide for the labelling of unprocessed poultrymeat at retail level. The information which these regulations require on the label includes the registered number of the slaughterhouse or cutting plant and, where imported from a Third Country, an indication of country of origin. These regulations do not apply to poultry products that are processed in any way.

The primary legislation enacted by the Oireachtas in March of this year, under which our beef labelling requirements on country of origin were extended to the catering sector, also allows for the extension of country of origin labelling to other meats. However, because different origin labelling requirements apply to other meats in the retail sector under current EU legislation and there are also different systems of traceability as well as some import/export complexities, it is not as straightforward as it is for beef. The European Commission has opposed Member States introducing legislation in this area that is in excess of common EU requirements. Nonetheless, my Department is at present in the process of drafting new regulations to require operators in the retail and catering sectors to provide country of origin information on poultrymeat, pigmeat and sheepmeat. It is my intention to submit these regulations, when they are finalised, to the European Commission for approval as required by EU legislation.

Of course, the preferred way forward is that the Commission would progress the question of country of origin labelling of all meat at EU level. I wrote earlier this year to the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection on this subject. I also raised the issue in the Agriculture Council some months ago and will continue to take every opportunity to press for progress on this matter. I raised the issue of food labelling with EU Commissioner Fischer Boel during her recent visit to Ireland and was pleased with her positive views on the need for an EU origin logo on EU produced foods.

I am glad to inform the Deputy that the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate of the European Commission undertook a consultative process on a wide range of issues in this area earlier this year, under a document entitled "Labelling: Competitiveness, Consumer Information and Better Regulation for the EU". I 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 co-ordinated the Irish contribution to this process. In the meantime, my Department will continue its work on the drafting of national measures.