STAFF
Well-known member
Why Has Govt Turned Blind Eye to Brazilian Beef Irregularities? – Naughten
Speaking after a visit today (Tuesday) to the Mohill Agricultural Show in Co Leitrim to promote the Fine Gael campaign to end large retailer rip-offs on basic foodstuffs, the Party's Agriculture Spokesperson, Denis Naughten TD, sharply criticised inaction at Irish Government and EU levels on the issue of Brazilian beef imports.
"Why was an inspection of the Brazilian meat industry, due to take place last April, postponed after it emerged that the Brazilian cattle tagging and traceability scheme had been abandoned?
"This inspection is now going to take place four months after the original date for the inspection. If this were an Irish farmer, who had not got a proper tagging system in place, would the Department of Agriculture postpone a farm inspection for four months? If this were an Irish Meat Processor, would export countries wait four months before carrying out an inspection to be satisfied that all was in order or would they just ban the import of beef from Ireland?
"This is an appalling situation and again highlights the fact that there is one very regulated system for Irish farmers producing beef for EU consumers but there is a very lax regime for Brazilian farmers producing beef for the same market. Is it any wonder that Brazilian beef can be produced for €2.9/Kg compared to €9.5/Kg for Irish beef?
"Why does the EU and our Government continue to allow the import of Brazilian beef when their cattle tagging and traceability scheme has been abandoned since last October?
"The Minister for Agriculture's response to the flood of Brazilian beef into Ireland has been to write a letter to the EU Commission. This reaction is at complete variance to her Department's position regarding breaches in Irish food or animal regulations. It is completely unacceptable that EU consumers should have to tolerate lower standards from third country beef, which is being pawned off as EU produced beef.
"The lack of traceability of Brazilian beef has the potential to threaten our bio security and consumer confidence in Irish beef products. Last year's inspection by the EU Food and Veterinary Office highlighted dubious practices in the Brazilian Beef Industry, which, at a very minimum, represents a risk of imports being used as a vector to re-introduce foot-and-mouth or other diseases onto our island.
"It now seems likely that this year's inspection would have highlighted similar problems and that is why the Brazilian Authorities sought, and succeeded in obtaining, a postponement of this inspection.
"What is of even more concern is that 'an audit of product traceability, recall procedures and labelling requirements, particularly country of origin declarations', was undertaken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last year. It has still not been published. The audit involved over 90 businesses and the findings indicated that traceability systems needed to be improved. Deficiencies in our food traceability systems are a cause for concern in themselves, but it is also worrying that the FSAI has decided to remain silent and not publish its findings.
"Despite these inadequacies more Brazilian beef than ever before is entering the food chain. It is not acceptable that we continue to accept meat imports, from third countries, which have already been found to be sub-standard. What message does this send out to consumers, whose confidence in the safety of meat has only begun to recover from past food scares such as foot and mouth or BSE? Irish meats are subject to the strictest of regulations, yet the Minister for Agriculture seems willing to turn a blind eye to the failure of imports to meet such standards. If any cloud of doubt hung over Irish meat it would spark a national emergency and such meat would not be permitted to remain on our supermarket shelves.
"The Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan has a responsibility to consumers and farmers alike, to act as a watchdog on the produce entering our food chain. With 30% of our meat now imported from non-EU third countries, primarily Brazil and Argentina, why is the Minister for Agriculture not taking more decisive action? Why is she failing in her duty to ensure that consumers can be satisfied that what they are putting on their plates is fully traceable and of a high quality.
"Consumers are being sold a falsehood and Irish farmers are competing against an inferior product, bought and sold at a much lower price, which is trading itself as being a higher quality Irish born and bred product. If a health or food scare were to develop in relation to these imports, it is utterly unacceptable that Irish farmers and the wider agri-food sector would suffer a crippling threat to their industry because of this unfair and dubious practice. That is why Fine Gael recognises that resolving this issue is closely tied to the issue of a secure food labelling system, which the party published details on recently.
"Farmers are only too fully aware of the strict regulations, which they must compile with before their produce is certified safe to eat. This applies equally to meats for domestic consumption or for export markets and yet our Government appears perfectly happy to allow inferior imports to fill Irish shelves. This contradiction is worrying for consumers and farmers.
"Why was the inspection due last April of Brazilian Meat Plants postponed? Why are the imports of Brazilian beef not suspended in light of the fact that they have abandoned cattle tagging and traceability scheme since last October. Why has the FSAI report not published?
"The Minister for Agriculture must answer these questions and she must immediately put pressure on the EU Food & Veterinary Office to re-visit the Brazilian processing plants identified as problematic and to have the inspection findings published immediately. If the serious deficiencies identified in such plants in the recent past are found to persist, then it's time Minister Coughlan fulfilled her duty to consumers and farmers. She needs to take a stand by making it clear that Ireland is no longer willing to tolerate or accept imported beef which does not meet the high standards of our own."
Speaking after a visit today (Tuesday) to the Mohill Agricultural Show in Co Leitrim to promote the Fine Gael campaign to end large retailer rip-offs on basic foodstuffs, the Party's Agriculture Spokesperson, Denis Naughten TD, sharply criticised inaction at Irish Government and EU levels on the issue of Brazilian beef imports.
"Why was an inspection of the Brazilian meat industry, due to take place last April, postponed after it emerged that the Brazilian cattle tagging and traceability scheme had been abandoned?
"This inspection is now going to take place four months after the original date for the inspection. If this were an Irish farmer, who had not got a proper tagging system in place, would the Department of Agriculture postpone a farm inspection for four months? If this were an Irish Meat Processor, would export countries wait four months before carrying out an inspection to be satisfied that all was in order or would they just ban the import of beef from Ireland?
"This is an appalling situation and again highlights the fact that there is one very regulated system for Irish farmers producing beef for EU consumers but there is a very lax regime for Brazilian farmers producing beef for the same market. Is it any wonder that Brazilian beef can be produced for €2.9/Kg compared to €9.5/Kg for Irish beef?
"Why does the EU and our Government continue to allow the import of Brazilian beef when their cattle tagging and traceability scheme has been abandoned since last October?
"The Minister for Agriculture's response to the flood of Brazilian beef into Ireland has been to write a letter to the EU Commission. This reaction is at complete variance to her Department's position regarding breaches in Irish food or animal regulations. It is completely unacceptable that EU consumers should have to tolerate lower standards from third country beef, which is being pawned off as EU produced beef.
"The lack of traceability of Brazilian beef has the potential to threaten our bio security and consumer confidence in Irish beef products. Last year's inspection by the EU Food and Veterinary Office highlighted dubious practices in the Brazilian Beef Industry, which, at a very minimum, represents a risk of imports being used as a vector to re-introduce foot-and-mouth or other diseases onto our island.
"It now seems likely that this year's inspection would have highlighted similar problems and that is why the Brazilian Authorities sought, and succeeded in obtaining, a postponement of this inspection.
"What is of even more concern is that 'an audit of product traceability, recall procedures and labelling requirements, particularly country of origin declarations', was undertaken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last year. It has still not been published. The audit involved over 90 businesses and the findings indicated that traceability systems needed to be improved. Deficiencies in our food traceability systems are a cause for concern in themselves, but it is also worrying that the FSAI has decided to remain silent and not publish its findings.
"Despite these inadequacies more Brazilian beef than ever before is entering the food chain. It is not acceptable that we continue to accept meat imports, from third countries, which have already been found to be sub-standard. What message does this send out to consumers, whose confidence in the safety of meat has only begun to recover from past food scares such as foot and mouth or BSE? Irish meats are subject to the strictest of regulations, yet the Minister for Agriculture seems willing to turn a blind eye to the failure of imports to meet such standards. If any cloud of doubt hung over Irish meat it would spark a national emergency and such meat would not be permitted to remain on our supermarket shelves.
"The Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan has a responsibility to consumers and farmers alike, to act as a watchdog on the produce entering our food chain. With 30% of our meat now imported from non-EU third countries, primarily Brazil and Argentina, why is the Minister for Agriculture not taking more decisive action? Why is she failing in her duty to ensure that consumers can be satisfied that what they are putting on their plates is fully traceable and of a high quality.
"Consumers are being sold a falsehood and Irish farmers are competing against an inferior product, bought and sold at a much lower price, which is trading itself as being a higher quality Irish born and bred product. If a health or food scare were to develop in relation to these imports, it is utterly unacceptable that Irish farmers and the wider agri-food sector would suffer a crippling threat to their industry because of this unfair and dubious practice. That is why Fine Gael recognises that resolving this issue is closely tied to the issue of a secure food labelling system, which the party published details on recently.
"Farmers are only too fully aware of the strict regulations, which they must compile with before their produce is certified safe to eat. This applies equally to meats for domestic consumption or for export markets and yet our Government appears perfectly happy to allow inferior imports to fill Irish shelves. This contradiction is worrying for consumers and farmers.
"Why was the inspection due last April of Brazilian Meat Plants postponed? Why are the imports of Brazilian beef not suspended in light of the fact that they have abandoned cattle tagging and traceability scheme since last October. Why has the FSAI report not published?
"The Minister for Agriculture must answer these questions and she must immediately put pressure on the EU Food & Veterinary Office to re-visit the Brazilian processing plants identified as problematic and to have the inspection findings published immediately. If the serious deficiencies identified in such plants in the recent past are found to persist, then it's time Minister Coughlan fulfilled her duty to consumers and farmers. She needs to take a stand by making it clear that Ireland is no longer willing to tolerate or accept imported beef which does not meet the high standards of our own."
