Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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184. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of carcasses graded by mechanical machine before it was found to be out of sync rechecked to determine if their respective grades were accurate on occasions when a mechanical grading machine in a meat processing plant was found to be working out of sync and the factory reverted to manual grading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8636/19]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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185. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 526 of 12 February 2019, the number of carcasses checked at the start of each day to ensure the machine is operating within the limits in view of the fact that the return to service protocol of mechanical grading machines require at least 100 carcasses to be checked to make sure that they are working within the legal tolerances; the person or body that oversees this protocol; the location it is recorded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8637/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 185 together.

Regarding operations in a meat plant operating mechanical classification, at the start of each day the meat plant performs a ‘daily system check’. This ensures that the mechanical classification system is within operational tolerances established by the system provider and if any mechanical system fails a morning system check then the mechanical classification system will not operate. This process does not require carcasses checking at the start of each day.

At each inspection carried out by my Department a minimum of 100 carcases are re-checked against the machine normally in real time on the line during production. The manual grade is compared against the machine grade and the machine is scored. When a mechanical grading machine is found to be operating outside tolerance the factory is instructed to revert to manual grading straight away.