The chief executive of the new Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Dr Pat Wall, yesterday told consumers they have a major role in public health by using their own intelligence to ensure food is handled properly in butcher shops and supermarkets.
"If any of you go into a shop and see the butcher handling raw meat and then cooked meat without washing his or her hands, then walk out and say you will not have your family poisoned," he said.
"I guarantee if you do this that will never happen again and you could save a life and protect your family and the community."
Dr Wall also said he was horrified that 10 local authorities have not complied with the law and hired vets to inspect meat in their areas.
The issue was raised at the Veterinary Congress here, where over 300 members of both the Irish Veterinary Union and the Irish Veterinary Organisation are holding their annual general meetings and conference.
Dr Wall, who has taken over at the new food safety authority in Ireland from being a medical consultant with Britain's Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, said it was important the matter be sorted out very quickly.
He said E coli 0157 and Campylobacter Salmonella were the bacteria of greatest concern.
In the UK over 100,000 cases of food poisoning are reported each year, with about 200 fatalities annually.
E coli 0157 was virtually unknown before the 1980s but since then overall UK rates have risen to over 1,000 cases in 1996.
He said 15 per cent of those who are infected by it develop renal failure, and of these 10 per cent die.
Dr Wall said that in the UK Scotland shows the highest rate, 9.5 cases per 100,000 population, followed by England and Wales with 1.3 and then Northern Ireland with 0.8 per 100,000.
"As data are not collected nationally in the Republic of Ireland, I don't know what the figure is, but hopefully it is similar to Northern Ireland," he said.
He said the professionals need to focus in the abattoirs on the high-risk areas to reduce faecal contamination of the final product.
He said cattle and sheep coming into processing areas should be as clean as possible and the transport should be clean also and not overloaded.
Dr Tom Raftery of UCC defended modern farming methods and said they provide cheap, quality food for the world where the population is set to double.
He argued intensive farming does not necessarily mean a drop in quality standards and scientific investigations show microbal contamination of food is far more common than contamination by residues or fertilisers.
He said a major programme of education is necessary for producers, processors and the consumers to ensure that food remains safe.