None of the existing 26 food quality assurance schemes operating here is accredited to any international standard, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Noel Davern, said yesterday.
Launching the report of the Expert Group set up to review Quality Assurance Schemes in Ireland, he said it was imperative to have an internationally recognised standard.
This, he said, was the EN45011, which is independent and recognised internationally. It was essential to introduce this quickly if food-quality assurance schemes were to have credibility with consumers and the trade, nationally and internationally.
The Minister told a press conference in Dublin that bringing in the new standard would cost the industry a lot of money and would also increase prices paid by the consumer.
The current schemes were part of the response to consumer concerns after difficult years in the sector.
"One cannot blame the ordinary person in the street for being a little sceptical that such schemes were put in place simply to regain lost revenue and market share," he said.
Implementing the group's recommendations would allay this scepticism and give food-quality assurance schemes unquestionable credibility through adherence to stringent guidelines and independent verification of their procedures.
Prof Joe Buckley, of University College Cork, who chaired the group, said it was important that the National Standards Authority of Ireland establish generic guidelines for schemes which should be process-linked and cover the production-processing chain, incorporating food-safety protocols.