Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 422: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his views that the presence of a veterinarian and an agricultural officer in meat factories represents duplication; his plans to change this arrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28755/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Slaughterhouses and meat processing plants operate under the approval of my Department in accordance with the terms of EU Food Hygiene Regulations. These plants are supervised by veterinary inspectors employed by the Department, assisted in their duties by technical staff (agricultural officers) and by temporary veterinary inspectors (TVIs) drawn from private practice on a rota basis. The tasks prescribed for veterinarians and technical staff are distinctly different and there is no duplication.

It is nonetheless my intention that in line with the recommendations in Food Harvest 2020, the meat inspection service will be further streamlined to provide a more cost effective service consistent with regulatory requirement and consumer safety and confidence.

Recommendations arising from a Value for Money (VFM) review relating to the use of the services of TVIs in slaughter plants under the supervision of the Department, along with recommendations arising from other reviews relating to the optimum deployment of the national veterinary public health inspectorate, are being taken into account in revised arrangements for controlling meat plants.

In this context it is intended that the use of auxiliaries as recommended by the VFM review will be introduced in certain areas, initially on a pilot basis. Supplementary training will be required to allow technical staff to carry out post-mortem meat inspection, except in relation to poultry meat (as the Department has already assigned some post mortem inspection duties to technical staff working in poultry processing establishments). In addition, such a reassignment requires consultation with the stakeholders involved and that consultation is under way.