Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 963: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that all the laboratory testing requirements and facilities previously identified in the food and animal feed industries are in place; if this prevents the necessity to send samples overseas for assessment; if the full scale of testing facilities anticipated at the State laboratories are fully operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11292/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food laboratories carry out a broad and in-depth range of laboratory tests to support DAFF's requirements in the areas of animal health, plant health and food and feed safety. While DAFF laboratories have the capacity to carry out most of the tests to meet these requirements, for cost efficient reasons, some tests are outsourced.

In relation to food safety the control of food and feed within the EU is managed in accordance with Regulation 882 of 2004. This Regulation requires that an integrated Irish multi-annual control plan be in place to ensure that these controls are carried out in the most efficient manner possible. A copy of the Multi Annual National Control Plan (MANCP) submitted to the EU Commission in 2007, for the period 2007-2011 is available at:

http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=areasofi/food_safety/nationalcontrolplan.xml

This approach, towards the preparation and delivery of food and feed controls in Ireland, requires a high level of collaboration between DAFF and the FSAI to produce and deliver the requirements of this plan. The State Laboratories at Backweston (in the Department of Finance) are part of the Irish Laboratory infrastructure that is used to deliver this plan. Due to the complexity and wide range of controls required by this plan it is not yet possible to provide all the required analytical services within the State. It is, therefore, still necessary to have some samples analysed in external laboratories.

The analytical capacity of the DAFF Laboratories are under continuing review to ensure that the most appropriate laboratory capacity is in place to support the implementation of food and feed controls.

Testing for dioxins in feed has commenced at the Department of Finance's State laboratory.