Written answers

Wednesday, 15 July 2020

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Meat Processing Plants

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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121. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the instances of non-compliance with carcase trim specifications his inspectors have identified in beef plants each month to date in 2020; when the names of plants involved will be published; the payments made to the farmer supplier to reflect loss; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16261/20]

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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122. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of instances in which mechanical grading was suspended in meat plants in cases in which a machine is found to be working outside of tolerance and manual grading was instigated in 2019 and to date in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16262/20]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 122 together.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1184 of 20 April 2017 governs the monitoring of carcase classification, carcase presentation and weighing. To date, in 2020, officers from the Carcase Classification Division of my Department have conducted over 260 inspections across 32 factories (mechanical and manual grading plants) and over 23,600 carcases were inspected.

During these inspections, officers monitored compliance with the EU reference carcase presentation specification. Monitoring of carcase presentation was also carried out by my Department's Veterinary Public Health staff based in the factories, on a daily basis. To date, in 2020, no factory has been fined for non-compliance with carcase presentation.

The mechanical classification method must operate within legally defined tolerances at all times. When any mechanical system is found to be working outside of these tolerances, the meat plants concerned are instructed to revert to manual grading. Farmers are advised through their remittance dockets where manual grading is applied. Regarding the suspension of mechanical grading, this occurred on two occasions to date in 2020 and the factories in questions were instructed to revert to manual grading. In all instances, classification officers from my Department conduct a classification check before a factory is allowed to recommence mechanical grading. In 2019, mechanical grading was suspended on six occasions.

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