Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 28: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will amend legislation to ensure that foodstuffs of foreign origin cannot be labelled produced in Ireland, processed in Ireland or sourced and produced in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9140/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The enforcement of all food labelling regulations is centralised in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). This work is carried out through a number of service contracts between the FSAI and other Government Department and Agencies including my own Department. The Department of Health & Children is responsible for general food labelling regulations, the Department of Communications, Marine & Natural Resources has responsibility for the labelling of fish and my Department is responsible for the labelling of specific food products including beef and poultry meat at processing plants.

A central element of food labelling is that the consumer should not be misled. The issue referred to in this question is what is known as substantial transformation. The concept of substantial transformation is the basis used throughout the EU and elsewhere to define the origin of goods as being from the country where the last substantial economic change was made to them. In my view it should not be used to disguise the origin of certain products or to mislead the consumer as to the origin of raw materials.

I have made my concerns in this respect known to the EU Commission both in the context of the review being carried out by them on "Labelling, competitiveness, consumer information, better regulation for the EU" and in the Council of Ministers as well as in bilateral contact with Commissioners Fischer Boel and Kyprianou. I will continue to pursue this matter at EU level.