Irish taxpayers may have paid compensation on “substantial amounts” of non-Irish pork after the dioxin crisis, a member of an Oireachtas Committee which investigated the crisis said today.
Fine Gael's Michael Creed made the claim on publication of the report which crisicised the traceablility system in place in December last when Ireland’s total pork output was recalled.
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 Deputy Johnny Brady, the committee chairman.
As reported exclusively in
The Irish Times
last March, the all party committee 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 one.
It said the remit of the FSAI should
It said it found it “unacceptable” 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 Deputies Seán Sherlock,(Lab), Tom Sheahan and Bobby Aylward, said responsibility for this failure rested with the Department of Agriculture and Carlow County Council and this should never happen again.
Deputy Creed also criticised as unscrupulous and disgraceful, attempts by some multiple retailers to seek compensation from processors to get their product back on supermarket shelves.
Noting the report, 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 Professor 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 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.