Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 393: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when country of origin labelling will be extended to pork, chicken and sheep meat; and if she will ensure that substantial transformation will not be used to defeat the purpose of this proposal. [24876/07]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 406: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when legislation will be put in place regarding country of origin labelling for meat and pig products; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25157/07]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 413: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when she will take steps to honour the Government's commitment to introduce country of origin labelling legislation for the pig meat sector, in view of the fact that currently substantial transformation allows imported pork and bacon products to be labelled as Irish thereby misleading the consumer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25408/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 393, 406 and 413 together.

Draft regulations requiring the origin labelling of pigmeat, poultrymeat and sheepmeat were prepared in my Department and forwarded to the Department of Health and Children as the Regulations will be made under the Health Act 1947. A public consultation on the proposed regulations took place during the past month via the website of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland with the final date for receipt of comments being the 19th October. These comments will now be examined and the proposed legislation will be reviewed in the light of comments received. This process will take approximately three weeks. Thereafter the draft legislation will have to be forwarded to the European Commission. The commencement date for the legislation will depend on the Commission's response and possibly that of other Member States.

In the proposed legislation 'origin' will be defined as the country where the animal was reared and, if different, the country of slaughter. This will have to be indicated on meat and meat products containing over 70% meat. Regardless of the nature, extent or location of processing or packaging that has gone into the manufacture of the product the requirement to show actual country of rearing and slaughter of the animal will remain in place and this will not be superseded by any 'substantial transformation'.