Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the cost to his Department of post mortem veterinary inspections for each year since 1999 to date in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18289/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Slaughterhouses and meat processing plants are supervised by Department veterinary inspectors, assisted in their duties by temporary veterinary inspectors drawn from private practice on a rota basis and by Department agricultural officers. Veterinary Inspectors are permanently located in all the larger meat and poultry slaughtering and processing plants and are responsible for the provision of the ante and post-mortem inspection service, inspections of structural and operational hygiene standards and controls on residues.

My Department does not have separate cost breakdown for the post mortem inspection aspects of the duties but the overall costs of the service in each year since 1999 are as follows:

(*Includes arrears payments of approximately €3.5m to temporary veterinary inspectors).

These costs include salaries, overtime, allowances and travel and subsistence for veterinary inspectors and agricultural officers and fees for temporary veterinary inspectors. Comparable figures are not available as yet for 2009.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the amount of money collected from farmers in respect of carcass inspections at meat plants for every year since 1999 to date in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18290/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My Department does not impose a charge on farmers in respect of carcase inspections in meat plants. The charges in relation to such inspections are levied on meat processors and included in their contribution to the costs of the veterinary meat inspection service, provided by my Department at all meat plants. The following table sets out the amounts collected from meat processors for this service, from 1999 to the end of April 2009.

It is a matter for meat plants as to whether they pass on such charges to farmers or not.