Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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1000. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied with the enforcement of EC2073/2005 (details supplied). [24511/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am satisfied that both Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety and Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15th November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs have been enforced correctly and appropriately. The primary goal of these regulations is to protect the health of consumers.

Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 lays down general food safety requirements which states food must not be placed on the market if it is unsafe.In order to comply with these legislative requirements, if Salmonellais detected in a meat product placed on the market as per Chapter 1 of Regulation (EC) no 2073/2005 destined for the final consumer, a product recall must be initiated in accordance with Article 19 of Regulation EC 178/2002.

Overall, the approach in EU law is to have measures along the food chain to reduce the risk from Salmonella from pigs and pig meat. There is a National Salmonella Control Programmes at farm level, a process hygiene criterion at slaughterhouse level and a food safety criterion at processing level for certain products made from pig meat. At each level, the controls are different.

The fundamental objective of controlling Salmonellaat all stages of the food chain is to safeguard public health by protecting consumers from disease.