Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the action being taken to amend legislation to ensure that foodstuffs of foreign origin cannot be labelled as produced in Ireland, processed in Ireland or sourced and produced in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19634/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister for Health & Children has overall responsibility for the general food labelling legislation. Responsibility for enforcement of labelling legislation rests with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) through its service contracts with my Department, the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, the Health Service Executive, the Local Authorities and the National Consumer Agency. The particular issue referred to here where a primary product can enter Ireland and be processed in some way thereby allowing it to be branded, as an Irish product is known as "substantial transformation". This terminology originates in EU legislation governing the EU Customs Code and therefore can only be amended at EU level.

The EU Commission reviewed the whole area of food labelling and in that context my Department contributed to Ireland's submission which was co-ordinated by the Department of Health & Children. The Commission subsequently brought forward a proposal for a regulation on the provision of food information to consumers. This draft regulation will be examined by Council of Health Ministers and the European Parliament under the co-decision procedure. The FSAI proposes to initiate public consultation on this proposal from July to October this year.