Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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86. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that labelling and traceability regulations applicable throughout the European Union in respect of product originating within the Union or outside continue to be observed in the spirit and the letter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43472/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Minister for Health has overall responsibility for general food labelling legislation but my Department plays an important role in the labelling of food together with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). Under EU law primary responsibility for the safety and traceability of food placed in the market place lies with food business operators. The role of my Department is to verify compliance by the food business operators with this requirement. Regulation (EC) No. 178 of 2002, which sets out the general principles and requirements of EU food law, stipulates, among other things, that food business operators at all stages of production, processing and distribution within the businesses under their control must ensure that foods satisfy the requirements of food law. Specifically in regard to traceability, the regulations require that food business operators must have systems in place to be able to identify any person from whom they have been supplied with a food. They must also have a system in place to identify the other businesses to which their product has been supplied. In other words a food business operator at each and every stage in the food chain must be able to identify the source of its inputs as well as having details of the first recipient of its output. This is commonly referred to as the “one step forward one step backward” traceability system.

My Department has a permanent veterinary presence at all its approved slaughter plants. Controls at stand-alone secondary processing plants are carried out at a frequency which is based on an annual risk assessment for each plant. An annual audit of imported products is carried out in each Department approved meat plant. The audit includes physical identity, labelling and documentary checks. This includes product originating both in EU Member States and third countries. In addition, labelling and documentary checks form part of the routine checks conducted by Department officials.

Rules on the labelling of meat and meat products are laid down in EU legislation. For beef, the current rules require compulsory origin labelling, with place of birth, rearing and slaughter specified. 

In 2011 , the European Union passed a new Council Regulation on Food Information for the Consumers (FIC), Regulation 1169/2011, which will be implemented by way of EU Commission implementing regulations and 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 swine, sheep, goats and poultry),

- voluntary labelling of all foods and

- the mandatory labelling of meat as an ingredient.

The import of products of animal origin from third countries is governed by a comprehensive and robust legislative framework laid down at EU level, controlled by EU Member States in the first instance, and audited by the European Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office, to ensure compliance with all of the relevant food safety standards. The legislation imposes a series of health and supervisory requirements, designed to ensure that imported products meet standards at least equivalent to those required for production in, and trade between Member States.

Import controls on products of animal origin arriving from third countries must be performed at an EU Border Inspection Post approved for that category of product being presented.

Consignments for import requiring veterinary checks must be notified in advance to the Border Inspection Post of import and presented on arrival for checks with all the appropriate documentation. Border Inspection Posts in Ireland are operated by my Department. The import controls procedures on products of animal origin are highly prescriptive and strictly audited by the FVO to ensure compliance. Reports of the findings of inspections are published on the FVO’s website.