Written answers

Thursday, 21 January 2016

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Food Safety Standards

Photo of Seán KyneSeán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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11. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine while accepting the high level of traceability on Irish farms, if beef factories have full traceability of beef; if over 30-month old beef is not being sold as being premium under 30-month old beef by beef plants; Bord Bia's role in investigating issues of traceability of Irish beef; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2299/16]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Primary responsibility under EU law for the safety and traceability of food placed on the market lies with food business operators (FBOs). The role of National Competent Agencies is to verify compliance with this requirement. This is done through a combination of inspecting establishments and auditing the food safety management systems which operators are required to have in place. These controls are applied at different stages in the food supply chain.Regulation (EC) No. 178 of 2002 sets out the general principles and requirements of EU food law and stipulates that FBOs at all stages of production, processing and distribution within the businesses under their control, must ensure that the requirements of food law are satisfied. In regard to traceability, the regulations require that FBOs must have systems in place 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. This is commonly referred to as the ‘one step forward, one step backward’ traceability system. Prior to acceptance for slaughter all bovines must be properly registered on this Department’s Animal Identification and Movement system (AIM) and accompanied by its passport. AIM provides beef plants with the animal’s date of birth of birth, sex, breed, movement history and TB test records.

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

Regarding the sale of over 30 month old beef as under 30 month old beef by beef plants, I have no evidence that any such practice is engaged in by beef processors. I am satisfied that the full system of traceability across all chains of supply and production ensures that the beef industry operates to the highest standard of traceability which is necessary to ensure the placing of Irish beef as a premium product in many markets across the world.

In relation to the role of Bord Bia, whilst they have no statutory role in the traceability of beef there are currently over 52,000 producers and 120 processors and packers certified members across all the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Schemes. They are inspected regularly by Bord Bia before they can be certified and allowed use of the Quality Mark. Each processor receives one announced and one unannounced Bord Bia Meat Processor Quality Assurance Scheme audit every 24 months. The MPQAS scheme has over 500 requirements that typically require 2 auditor days in a beef abbattoir/boning hall situation.

As part of the Quality Assurance Scheme processors must have in place a documented product identification and traceability procedure/system which mustpermit full traceability at all stages of all processes and along the supply chain from an original Bord Bia certified herd of origin to the customer.

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