A truck carrying meat and dairy products to Tesco supermarkets in the south-east was impounded for several hours yesterday after it was discovered that some of the produce on it had originated in Britain.
The vehicle was stopped by gardai on routine patrol on the N11 route at Inch, Co Wexford, at 4.55 a.m. Gardai became concerned when the driver did not have satisfactory documentation.
The vehicle was impounded at Arklow Garda station until 12.45 p.m., when clearance was given by the Department of Agriculture to release it.
A Garda spokesman at Arklow station said the dairy products and pre-packed meals on board had originated in Britain and had been cleared by the Department of Agriculture when they arrived, fully certified, at Dun Laoghaire port on Sunday afternoon. However, the load was then taken to a distribution centre and loaded on to
trucks for distribution around the State. Irish-sourced meat was added to the load and when the driver was stopped close to the Wexford-Wicklow border he did not have full documentation.
Asked about the incident and the continued importation of British foodstuffs, the Department of Agriculture press office said that not all food sourced in the UK was banned in the State. However, restrictions did apply and certain conditions had to be met. Milk, for example, might be imported only if it was subjected to an initial pasteurisation at 71s0]C for 15 seconds, followed by either a second high-temperature pasteurisation or ultra-heat treatment or sterilisation.
A certificate must accompany all milk and milk products entering the Republic from Northern Ireland and Britain, signed by the official UK veterinary authorities to indicate that they conformed with the specified criteria.
Cooked meat products might also be imported from the UK provided that the consignments were accompanied by official certification.
Ms Tara Whaley, corporate affairs officer at Tesco, said the company was seeking clarification from the Department of Agriculture on what documents it was required to carry on its trucks to ensure the situation did not arise again.
She said all products on the truck were properly certified but the certificates were held at Tesco's central distribution depot in Dublin. Drivers had not been instructed to carry them and this was why the situation arose.