Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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542. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the breakdown of the frequency that grading machines in each of the Department approved meat plants were calibrated by Department staff in 2020 and 2021 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27554/21]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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543. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown, summary of any of the faults, discrepancies that were detected following inspections or calibration checks of grading machines in Departmental approved meat plants in 2020 and 2021 to date; the actions taken to remedy the problems; if sanctions were handed out by his Department to the meat plants involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27555/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 542 and 543 together.

In 2020, officers from the Carcase Classification Section of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) conducted 405 inspections across 32 factories classifying carcasses. There were 302 inspections in factories where mechanical classification is carried out and 103 inspections in the nine manual grading factories. Over 36,000 carcasses were inspected in total.

In 2020, during unannounced checks, classification officers conducted an average of 14 inspections across the 22 mechanical factories and classified an average of 100 carcasses at each inspection. To date in 2021, classification officers conducted 80 inspections in factories applying mechanical classification and over 8,000 carcasses have been inspected.

The number of inspections significantly exceed the requirement under the relevant EU legislation. The EU legal requirement for monitoring classification is eight inspections per factory per year and must include a minimum of 40 carcasses at each inspection.

Unannounced checks by classification officers verify the on-going accuracy of the automated beef grading methods by using a system of points and limits defined in EU legislation. The mechanical classification method must operate within legally defined tolerances at all times. As with any mechanical system, grading machines can from time to time fall out of tolerance.

Where a machine is found operating outside of tolerance, the factory is instructed to cease mechanical classification and to revert to manual grading. In this scenario, the factory must arrange for the classification machine to be serviced. When this service is completed, the classification section is notified, and classification officers will proceed to conduct a further classification exercise (minimum 100 carcasses) to confirm that the machine is working within the legal tolerances before mechanical grading is allowed to recommence. Farmers are advised through their remittance dockets where manual grading is applied.

The suspension of mechanical grading following an inspection by DAFM occurred on four occasions in 2020. To date in 2021, mechanical classification was suspended on one occasion following an inspection by classification officers.