Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 264: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to Parliamentary Question No. 75 of April 2011, the reason he believes a system for food traceability and disease control and public safety is more important for goats and horses than for deer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8156/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland's system of mandatory registration of animals, including goats and horses, is in accordance with the EU requirements on identification for live animals. Farmed deer does not require individual registration under EU law at this time. The development of a registration and tagging system for deer can be considered by my Department only when a number of critical identification issues with sheep, goats, pigs and horses have been resolved.

The European Food and Feed Hygiene Regulations (Hygiene Package) set out the principles and requirements of EU food law. These require food business operators, at all stages of production, processing and distribution within the businesses under their control, to ensure that foods satisfy the requirements of food law. In relation to traceability, the regulations require that the operator must have systems in place to identify any person from whom they have been supplied with a food and to identify any other businesses to which their product has been supplied. I am satisfied that the meat establishments, including game handling establishments approved by my Department, meet the traceability standards required under this legislation.

The TB Control plan introduced for goats in 2008 and applicable to other non bovine milk yielding animals is a requirement under Annex III, Section 9, Chapter 1.1.1. 2. (b) (ii) of EU Regulation 853/2004. The purpose of the Control Plan, which must be approved by the Department, is to establish the TB status of the herd and to put in place a strict monitoring regime to ensure the detection of TB infection at an early stage. All non-bovine herds supplying a processor with milk to manufacture dairy product must have an approved TB control plan in place before the supplier commences operation. Purchasers of goat and other non-bovine milk have been instructed not to purchase from a supplier without evidence that the herd is TB free and must also be provided with a copy of the approved Plan.