Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the steps that she has taken to improve her Department's pesticide residue monitoring and food traceability regime since late October 2006 when investigation by RTÉ exposed deficiencies in these programmes; if further resources will be provided for food traceability of pesticide monitoring programmes in 2007; if a company (details supplied) is still trading; if the company has been penalised due to evidence of unauthorised pesticides on its premised; if she has been informed of when the Health and Safety Authority's investigation into the impact of the use of these chemicals will conclude; if there have been positive findings under the pesticide residue monitoring regime since the broadcast of RTÉ's findings of 27 October 2006; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40586/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The pesticide residue monitoring programme conducted by my Department on behalf of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), is reviewed and agreed annually with the FSAI. The risk-based programme thus developed involved the analysis of some 1,350 samples of agricultural produce, including 10 of mushrooms, in 2005/2006 for up to 150 different pesticides. The programme will be further strengthened in 2007 by increasing the analytical scope to include up to 200 pesticide compounds.

The number of mushroom samples analysed as part of this residue monitoring programme compares favourably with similar programmes in other Member States. In 2005 the following numbers of mushroom samples were analysed in Sweden (10), UK (48), Netherlands (12), Norway (35) and Belgium (19). I am satisfied that this risk based programme, jointly developed and agreed by my Department and the FSAI, provides a high standard of protection for Irish consumers.

No evidence of illegal use of plant protection products was found during two unannounced inspections conducted by officers of my Department on the premises of the mushroom farm at the centre of recent allegations. When last inspected on the 9th of November 2006 the producer in question had 6 mushroom tunnels in operation in Ballaghaderreen and two samples of mushrooms were taken. These samples were tested for residues of prochloraz, fluazinam and formaldehyde, the products alleged to have been used illegally, but no illegal residues were found. Accordingly the question of applying a penalty did not arise. Officers of my Department are in contact with the Health & Safety Authority in their on-going investigation but as yet there is no completion date set for its conclusion.