TAXPAYERS MAY have paid compensation on “substantial amounts” of non-Irish pork after the dioxin crisis, a member of an Oireachtas committee that investigated the crisis said yesterday.
Fine Gael TD Michael Creed made the claim on the publication of the report which criticised the traceability system in place in December last year when Ireland’s total pork output was recalled because of a contamination scare.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture report found an effective traceability scheme would have prevented all pork being recalled and urged the processors to set up a pilot programme to give full traceability at factory level.
“The committee believes, regrettably, that failure to have an effective traceability regime means the Irish taxpayer may end up paying financial aid to processors for non-Irish pork,” it said.
“Less than 10 per cent of pork products were potentially affected by the contaminated feed. However, because of the absence of a forensic traceability regime, 100 per cent of products had to be recalled. This is likely to cost the Irish taxpayer hundreds of millions in compensation payouts,” said Fianna Fáil TD Johnny Brady, the committee’s chairman.
As reported in The Irish Times last March, the all-party committee has urged the reversal of the proposal to amalgamate the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) with Irish Medicines Board and the Office of Tobacco Control.
It felt the amalgamation could endanger the reputation and focus of the organisation which was of vital importance in maintaining consumer confidence during crises such as the dioxin scare.
It said the remit of the FSAI should be extended to cover the animal feed chain and said it found the numerous agencies responsible for food safety operating under service agreements with the FSAI was not satisfactory.
A single-agency approach to food and animal feed was recommended.
It said it found it “unacceptable” that the food recycling plant at the centre of the incident had not been inspected at all in 2008 by the Department of Agriculture inspectors and, while holding a permit from Carlow County Council, was not inspected by the council at all since receiving a permit in 2006.
Members of the committee including TDs Seán Sherlock (Labour), Tom Sheahan (Fine Gael) and Bobby Aylward (Fianna Fáil), said responsibility for this failure rested with the Department of Agriculture and Carlow County Council and this should never happen again.
Mr Creed also described as unscrupulous and disgraceful attempts by some multiple retailers to seek compensation from processors to get their product back on supermarket shelves.
Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith said an inter-agency review group had been established under the chairmanship of Dr Patrick Wall of UCD to consider whatever adjustments of controls were necessary and the views of the committee would be taken into account.
“The work of the inter-agency group is continuing, under Prof Wall’s chairmanship, and it will report to both the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food,” concluded the ministerial statement.
The Irish Farmers’ Association said it was disappointed the committee did not call for country-of-origin labelling as processors could package and label product to mislead consumers.
IFA Pigs Committee member Pat O’Flaherty said he failed to understand why the food recycling plant had not been inspected in two years and said only 50 per cent of the compensation package agree with pig farmers had been paid out and this must be rectified immediately.