Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 37: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the steps he has taken to reduce the cost of the meat inspection service. [43634/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Slaughterhouses and meat processing plants operating under the approval of my Department are supervised by veterinary inspectors employed by the Department, assisted in their duties by temporary veterinary inspectors (TVIs) 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.

The cost of the meat inspection service in 2008 was €39.9m, including salaries, overtime, allowances, and travel and subsistence for veterinary inspectors and agricultural officers; and fees for TVIs.

My Department recently published a Value for Money (VFM) review relating to the use of the services of TVIs in slaughter plants which are under the supervision of the Department. Its recommendations will be considered carefully, as is the case for all such VFM reviews, and decisions will be taken as appropriate to ensure the most efficient and effective service delivery.

Recommendations arising from other reviews relating to the optimum deployment of the national veterinary public health inspectorate are also under active consideration, with a view to ensuring that the service provided is as efficient and effective as possible.