Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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439. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to his correspondence of 9 April 2019 regarding the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 952 of 26 March 2019, the number of beef grading machines that would fail on inspection if the accuracy standard was set at the average accuracy of machines, which is over 90%, rather than the minimum set out in legislation, at 60% accuracy; if he will reduce the tolerance currently allowed on beef grading machines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17553/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1184 of 20 April 2017 governs the monitoring of carcase classification, carcase presentation and weighing. The legal tolerances for authorisation of a mechanical classification system are set in that legislation.

The figure quoted of 60% is the minimum accuracy figure for conformation and fat cover that must be achieved for a mechanical classification system to be authorised for use in any EU state. The average performance for conformation in Ireland in 2018 was 91.8% for conformation and 94.8% for fat cover.   

In 2018, 23 machines were inspected during 412 inspections. During these inspections, on 112 occasions the accuracy was between 80% and 90% for both conformation and fat.  In all other instances, the machines were above 90% accuracy.  The Deputy should be aware that these accuracy figures include over-scores as well as under-scores when compared to manual grading.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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440. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 957, 959 and 962 of 26 March 2019, when his Department took the decision to no longer hold digitised images in view of previous commitments by his officials to the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine; the reason his Department no longer has access to these images; if he will review this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17554/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The mechanical grading machines are the property of each individual meat plant and the images generated by these machines are therefore retained in each factory's own computer system.  While my Department has limited access to these images, it does not own, hold or control these images.