Agriculture: Labelling of Food Products 24th September 2013

Parliamentary Question No.483

To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which the labelling of meat and all food products continues to be enforced in order to preserve and protect the consumer and preserve the integrity of the agri-food sector here; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

– Bernard J. Durkan.

　

For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 24th September, 2013.

Ref No: 39840/13 Proof: 594

　

and the Marine: (Simon Coveney)

The Minister for Health has overall responsibility for the general food labelling legislation at both EU and domestic level, with The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) under the aegis the Minister for Health responsible for the enforcement of food safety and labelling requirements in Ireland. It carries out this remit through service contracts with my Department and other agencies including the Health Service Executive (HSE), Local Authority Veterinary Service and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority. However my Department plays a collaborative role in policy and enforcement, together with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

In this regard, EU Food Information for the Consumer Regulation adopted in 2011 provides a framework for providing information to consumers in relation to the provenance of food, and provides for the extension of compulsory origin labelling to meats other than beef. I have been a strong proponent of appropriate food labelling and my Department will play an active part in deliberations in how best to implement these provisions, once the Commission has completed its impact analysis on the matter later this year.

This legislation extended explicit compulsory origin labelling requirements to meats other than beef, with the detailed rules to be adopted in implementing acts by 13 December 2013, following an impact assessment by the Commission.

Food production and labelling in the countries of the European Union operates in accordance with harmonised rules and member states controls are subject to audit and supervision by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) of the EU.

Inspections to ensure compliance with labelling legislation are carried out by a variety of inspection services provided by the HSE and my Department under the aforementioned contracts.

EU law provides for the free movement of goods between Member States. On that basis, meat and meat products produced in an establishment which is approved under the relevant EU regulation can be moved freely within the EU. Food business operators in Ireland are responsible for carrying out checks to ensure that their ingredients come from approved plants. They must also have a system in place to identify the source of inputs and destination of outputs (referred to as one “step forward and one step back”).

My Department has a permanent veterinary presence in all its approved slaughter plants. Controls at stand alone secondary processing plants are carried out at a frequency which is based on an annual risk assessment for each plant. Checks are also conducted at retail level by the HSE, working under the aegis of the FSAI.

An annual audit of imported products is carried out in each Department approved meat plant. The audit includes physical identity, labelling and documentary checks. This includes product originating both in EU Member States and third countries. In addition, labelling and documentary checks form part of the routine checks conducted by Department officials.

Poultry products imported from outside the EU must come from plants approved under the European Union veterinary inspection regime. These premises must have equivalent standards to those pertaining in the EU. Such meat products are subject to documentary, identity and, where necessary, physical checks at the point of entry to ensure compliance with the EU requirements.

The Food Information for the Consumer Regulation (1169/2011/ EC) provides inter alia for mandatory country of origin/place of provenance labelling. This Regulation extends mandatory origin/provenance labelling, already applying in eth case of beef, to pigmeat, sheepmeat and poultry. The Commission has been asked to bring forward its proposals in relation to the mandatory origin/provenance of these meats to September so that the detailed rules can be adopted by the end of this year. It is intended that the legislation will come into effect in 2014.