Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 219: To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Fisheries and Food if he has satisfied himself regarding food health and hygiene regulations as applied throughout the industry in respect of both native and imported produce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17926/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) under the aegis of the Minister for Health has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food safety in Ireland. It carries out this remit through service contracts with my Department and other agencies including the HSE, Local Authority Veterinary Service and Sea Fisheries Protection Authority.

The work to ensure compliance with the application of health and hygiene regulations within the remit of my Department is carried out by staff from the Veterinary Public Health and Agriculture Inspectorates who specialise in particular sectors of primary food production. They are supported in this work by Department laboratories through sampling and analyses of the products concerned. All compliance work is subject to regular audit by both the FSAI and the Food and Veterinary Office of the EU.

Regarding imported produce, consignments of food products of animal origin directly entering on to the territory of the EU must be the subject of a prior notification of import. My Department, in co-operation with Customs service, monitors and operates animal and public health controls at EU approved Border Inspection Posts (BIP) on all direct imports into Ireland coming from non-EU (or third) countries.

These are required to undergo veterinary examination at the BIP of entry to include documentary checks (100%), identity checks (100%) and physical checks ranging from 20% to 50% of consignments according to whether the consignment consists of meat or meat products. Consignments failing to comply with veterinary control checks may be detained for further examination and where non-compliance is established are returned to the exporting country or destroyed at the importers cost.

As competent authority for monitoring and control of pesticide residues my Department also undertakes import control under new EU harmonised legislation for food safety risks because of pesticide residues in designated foods of non-animal origin coming from specified third countries. Importers of food commodities from such countries are required to pre-notify their import into the EU and submit relevant consignments for checks and sampling, according to EU requirements, at designated points of entry (DPE). Consignments undergoing sampling are held and not released unless a satisfactory result has been obtained.

My Department also enforces marketing standards for fresh fruit and vegetables requiring that fruit and vegetables may only be marketed if they are sound, fair and of a marketable quality and if the country of origin is indicated