Written answers

Thursday, 26 June 2014

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Beef Industry

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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173. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of beef processors currently slaughtering animals throughout the country, where one or more such processors have an interest, controlling or otherwise, in more than one slaughtering or processing operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27750/14]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Currently there are 32 beef slaughtering plants approved to export from Ireland to local, EU and third country markets and over 195 local authority businesses approved plants that may export locally or to the EU. The details (names/addresses etc) of the all the approved plants are on the websites of my Department and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in the case of local authority plants.

With regard to the ownership of beef processing plants this is a commercial matter for individuals or companies who wish to invest in the industry. As the deputy is aware there are companies that operate multiple plants in Ireland, and I as Minister do not have any legislative power to curtail this nor would I seek to do so as there is a free single market in place throughout the EU.

There are safeguards in place to ensure that there are no monopoly positions amongst the ownership of the plants and these are enforced by the Competition Authority. The Authority is an independent statutory body that enforces Irish and European competition law in Ireland. Its mission is ‘to ensure that markets work well for Irish consumers, business and the economy’. It does this by taking action against anti-competitive practices (e.g. price-fixing) and by blocking anti-competitive business mergers. It also has a role in promoting competition in the economy by identifying legislative restrictions on competition, advising the Government on the implications for competition of proposed legislation, and by providing general information about competition issues.

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