Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1273. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on establishing an independent meat regulator with statutory powers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16925/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, there is a commitment in the Programme for Government for the establishment of a new authority called the National Food Ombudsman (NFO) to enforce the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive. Establishment of the NFO is ongoing and firstly requires the drafting of a statutory instrument to transpose the UTP directive before the deadline of May 2021. Legislation is then required to establish the new office of the NFO.

The NFO, whose remit will include the beef sector, will have a specific role in analysing and reporting on price and market data in Ireland. It is important to be aware, however, that the Ombudsman will not be able to determine commodity prices. I will launch a public consultation on the NFO in the coming weeks and welcome all submissions under this process.