Written answers

Wednesday, 8 June 2016

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Food Labelling

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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569. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which traceability continues to apply and be enforced throughout Europe in relation to all meat and meat products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14886/16]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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579. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which checking, cross-checking and inspection continues in order to ensure the integrity of the labelling of all food and food products imported here or into the EU and subsequently to this jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14903/16]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 569 and 579 together.

My colleague, the Minister for Health, has overall responsibility for general food labelling legislation and new EU food information regulations which were adopted by the Council of Health Ministers in December 2011. However, my Department plays a vital role in the enforcement and oversight of this legislation under service contract to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

The safety and traceability of food placed on the market is the primary responsibility of the food business operators (FBOs). The role of National Competent Agencies is to confirm compliance with this requirement. This is done by inspecting establishments and auditing the food safety management systems which operators 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 must, at all stages of production, processing and distribution within their business, ensure food law requirements are satisfied. As regards traceability, the regulations require that FBOs have systems in place to identify any person who supplies the business with a food, and a system to identify other businesses to which their product has been supplied forward. This is known as the ‘one step forward, one step backward’ traceability system. There are additional requirements for certain fishery and aquaculture products under the Control Regulation (Council Regulation EU No 1224/2009 establishing a community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy and Commission Implementing Regulation No 404/2011) from first sale to subsequent stages of production, processing and distribution up to the point of retail.

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

The import of products of animal origin from third countries is governed by a robust legislative framework laid down at EU level, controlled by Member States in the first instance and audited by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (formerly called FVO) to ensure compliance with all relevant food safety standards. The legislation establishes health and supervisory requirements designed to ensure imported products meet standards equivalent to those required for production and trade between Member States. Border Inspection Posts are also operated by my Department. Import control procedures on products of animal and fish origin are extremely prescriptive and strictly audited by the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety to ensure compliance and inspection finding reports are available on that website.

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