Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan insisted that the banning of Brazilian beef was a matter for the European Commission. "The commissioner is charged with the health of the people in the EU, and he is the competent authority."
Ms Coughlan was replying to Fine Gael spokesman Michael Creed, who said he was inviting her "to prise herself from the fence on this matter".
Ms Coughlan said: "The deputy may not want to listen, but it is time the truth was told in this House.
"I sent additional unpublished information, made available to me by the Irish Farmers' Journal, to the commissioner. I followed it up on a number of occasions.
"I met with the commissioner officially at every council, where I have expressed reservations and asked that 25 recommendations from the FVO [Food and Veterinary Office] report of March be implemented.
"A further mission has been undertaken, and the commissioner met with the Brazilian authorities and the minister. I gave an undertaking to speak to the commissioner again once he had received the report to follow up on the outcome of the mission."
She added that on the basis of the risk assessment carried out by the FVO, on behalf of the commissioner and the commission, a ban had not been recommended.
Mr Creed insisted it was not the purpose of the report to make a recommendation but to outline the facts. "There is a list as long as my arm of the shortcomings of the Brazilian authorities."
