The identification of the country of origin of beef on sale in the retail, catering and food services sector, under new EU labelling regulations, has been given a broad welcome.
Earlier this week, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, announced that the report on implementing the new regulations would be coming before the Council of Ministers very soon.
He said he had been in contact with the Commission in relation to labelling and had asked that the requirement to indicate the country of origin be extended beyond the retail to the catering and food services sector.
The Minister said that since the introduction of EU beef labelling regulations in 2000, the issue of providing information on the origin of beef served in restaurants and catering establishments had come to the fore in Ireland.
The Minister said consumers should be made aware, at the time of purchase, of the origin of the meat they are being offered, whether in restaurants or in retail establishments, so they can make an informed choice.
Fine Gael asked the Minister to ensure that any new regulations would be as extensive as possible.
The Fine Gael deputy agriculture and food spokesman, Mr