Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the range of tests, if any, carried out on meat imports to ensure food safety in human food, in the past year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9392/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is the competent authority with overall responsibility for the enforcement of food legislation in Ireland. Controls on the import of food are implemented by a number of agencies, including my Department, through service contracts with the FSAI.

In relation to intra community trade, food can be traded freely within the Community provided they originate from EU approved plants. Consignments of meat imported into Ireland from third countries are checked at a Border Inspection Post (BIP) on arrival. There are two BIPs in Ireland, at Dublin port and Shannon airport, operated by my Department. Controls on imported products consist of three types of checks – documentary, identity and physical. All consignments have a documentary and identity check and a proportion of products as laid down in legislation are subject to physical checks.

The following range of tests were carried out at Dublin port on meat imports during 2012. These include random, reinforced checks and on suspicion sampling; microbiology; growth promoters; residues veterinary medicines; environmental heavy metals.

The Environmental Health Service of the Health Service Executive also provides a range of food safety / food control services in accordance with its service contract with the FSAI. These controls include inspections and sampling of food sold in retail and catering establishments.