Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the steps she is taking to ensure that non-organic food is not mislabelled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3583/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is fully committed to ensuring that consumers can have full confidence in the organic food they buy. For that reason, extra staff resources were assigned to the Organic Unit last year and my officials are now systematically inspecting retail outlets, including supermarkets, shops and farmers' markets, and checking to ensure that all product identified as organic has been produced fully in accordance with the organic regulations.

The introduction of the European Communities (Organic Farming) Regulation 2004 (S.I. No 112 of 2004) gave my Department powers to prosecute contraventions of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 on organic production and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs. To date one operator has been convicted of an offence for labelling product in contravention of these Regulations.

Consumers can play an important part in identifying traders and retailers who may be trying to abuse the Regulations governing the organic sector. My officials will carry out full and rigorous investigations in any such cases and will bring prosecutions where appropriate.