Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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61. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the procedures and practices which have been enacted to safeguard against a repeat of the horse-meat controversy, with particular reference to horse passports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39511/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The detailed report on the ‘Equine DNA and Mislabelling of Processed Beef Investigation’, which I published on 14th March 2013, provides extensive details on the investigation and the actions taken by my Department. Operations in a total of four plants were suspended (in some cases on a voluntary basis) for varying periods arising from the investigation. My Department is actively considering the possibility of instituting legal proceedings where appropriate, as indicated in the report. It is important to note in that context that while some of the failures referred to in the report risked reputational damage to the Irish food sector, they did not breach EU or national law. Information in relation to activities by traders and other intermediaries in the supply chain outside of the jurisdiction has been passed to Europol and other Member States to facilitate continuing investigations in other countries.

Other actions taken in relation to this issue at both national and EU level include a programme of DNA testing of beef products and testing of horse meat for the presence of phenylbutazone. Meat traders and agents will be required to register as food business operators. Controls relating to horse identification are being strengthened and my Department has taken responsibility for the supervision of all horse abattoirs in Ireland.

It was because of the vigilance of Ireland’s testing and control regime that this pan European problem was exposed. Exposure of this malpractice will result in improved consumer protection across the EU. In that regard, the EU Commission is pursuing an action plan over the remainder of 2013 and into 2014 which includes specific actions and measures on the following basic elements: fighting food fraud, testing programmes, horse passports, official controls and origin labelling. It is important that controls in this area are strengthened on a pan European basis, not just at national level, and some of the measures envisaged will require legislative change at EU level.

With regard specifically to horse identification, my Department implements official controls in relation to horse identification at marts and other sales venues, in abattoirs and at points of entry to the country. All equines are required to be identified in accordance with EU and national legislation. Equines issued with a passport after 1 July 2009 must have a corresponding microchip implanted by a veterinarian, which is recorded in the passport and creates a link between the passport and the animal. The passport includes information on any veterinary medicines administered to equines. An equine for slaughter for human consumption must be accompanied to the slaughterhouse by its passport and the information on the passport determines whether the animal can be slaughtered for human consumption. Horses treated with certain veterinary medicines such as phenylbutazone, known in the industry as ‘bute’, are permanently excluded from the human food chain in order to protect public health.

The Department has established a centralised equine database, which will be used at abattoirs to assist in verifying the authenticity of horse passports for the animal presented and to record its date of slaughter. Detailed procedures for the slaughter of horses in abattoirs have been communicated, together with details of the identity checks required, both to Departmental staff and the business operators. Where forged or tampered passports accompanying horses to slaughter are detected, such animals are destroyed and removed from the food chain.