Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 619: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the specific action that can be taken to ensure that DNA testing is no longer needed to determine the origin of smoked salmon for sale in view of the cost of testing; if he has requested a report on the recent failure of the court case taken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland; and the implications for the international seafood market. [15170/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) are the primary agency with responsibility for the enforcement of EU legislation in regard to the labelling of fisheries products.

The case referred to by the deputy was brought against a company for breach of the EU labelling regulations, it was dismissed, not for salmon labelling issues but because the judge felt that the evidence put before her did not adequately prove that the salmon was farmed as set out in European Council Regulation 1198/2006. I understand that FSAI and Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) are reviewing the case in its totality and the implications arising and their findings are awaited.

Potential damage to Ireland by companies trying to manipulate legislation to gain some sort of competitive advantage must be prevented and any such activities will not be condoned.

In the overall context, I would favour a strengthening of the current labelling EU Regulations to ensure that there is more information available to the consumer.