Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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205. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding DNA testing on pigmeat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53639/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In 2011, the European Union passed a new Council Regulation on Food Information for the Consumers (FIC), Regulation 1169/2011, which has updated the requirements for consumer information and labelling in a number of areas including;

- country of origin or place of provenance including the origin labelling for meats other than beef (that is pigs, sheep, goats and poultry),

- voluntary labelling of all foods and

- the mandatory labelling of meat as an ingredient.

These requirements are to be implemented by way of EU Commission implementing regulations and these regulations were agreed last week and will come into force on 1 April 2015. Consumers should rightly expect not to be misled by inaccurate labelling and must have confidence in what they are eating. Ireland will continue to give leadership in this area and will work with its EU partners to strengthen consumer assurance measures, including more accurate labelling requirements as set out in the Regulation (1169/2011/EC). I can assure the Deputy that Ireland will rigorously enforce these new regulations.