Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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924. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 146 of 16 July 2020, if his officials based at equine slaughter houses are assisting EUROPOL with an investigation named Operation Opson IX; his views on whether his officials are not being resourced adequately in view of the fact this investigation focused on Irish slaughterhouses; and his plans to address this issue (details supplied). [20047/20]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Operation OPSON is an annual Europol Interpol joint law enforcement operation, implemented in several countries, aimed at removing counterfeit and sub-standard food and drinks from the market and dismantling any organised crime groups involved. The focus of Operation OPSON lX is targetting potential abuses of equine identification and movement regulations which might result in horses being slaughtered for human consumption when they should not enter the food chain. 

In Ireland, there are only two equine slaughter premises approved by my Department and both have a permanent veterinary assigned to them, undertaking official controls as laid down in legislation. The Irish contribution to OPSON IX was co-ordinated by the FSAI with assistance from relevant officials from my Department. The operation involved providing information on best practice and data which might be used to assist European police forces in tracking the movement of horses across Europe and assisting Member States in improving controls at abattoirs to identify circumstances where horses unfit for human consumption are presented for slaughter.  OPSON 1X is not focussing on slaughter houses in Ireland.