Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of veterinarians and inspectors employed to inspect poultry processing and meat processing plants; the amount it costs; if the inspectors make a distinction between locally produced and imported meat during the inspection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44021/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My Department, through its Veterinary Inspectorate, is responsible for the supervision of 165 large meat processing plants, including 10 poultry processing plants, which are approved under the European Communities (Food and Feed Hygiene) Regulations 2005.

The Department employs Veterinary Inspectors and technical staff, and engages Temporary Veterinary Inspectors on a contract for service basis to carry out meat inspection duties, with the aim of ensuring that the highest standards of food safety are achieved.

During 2007 the Department employed 72 Veterinary Inspectors, 229 technical staff and drew on a rostered basis from a pool of 800 Temporary Veterinary Inspectors to carry out this function in meat plants generally.

These figures include 10 Veterinary Inspectors, 16 technical staff and 40 Temporary Veterinary Inspectors based in poultry plants.

In a number of cases, the duties of these inspection staff include official supervision both at plants that process poultry and at plants that process different species of meat.

The cost of the inspection service including salaries, overtime, allowances, fees and PRSI in 2007 in meat plants generally was €38.0m. An amount of €16.6m was recovered in fees from industry, leaving a net cost as calculated on this basis of €21.4m. The corresponding cost in poultry plants in 2007 is calculated at €4.0m, less €1.1m recovered from industry, leaving a net cost of €2.9m.

All poultry meat imported into the European Union from third countries has to be inspected at an approved Border Inspection Post where it undergoes documentary, identity and physical examinations to ensure that it complies with relevant EU and national legislation. Compliant consignments are allowed to be imported and placed on the single market, where they are treated the same as other compliant products.

The same level of supervision is afforded to both imported and locally produced product. Inspectors monitor compliance with the obligation that meat coming into supervised premises must be from an approved source, whether locally produced or imported. If poultry that has been imported from a non-EU country is cut-up and/or rewrapped the name of that country must appear on the label of the poultry.