6 Dáil questions over eleven months before excessive carcass trimming factory named – Naughten

In Agriculture, News by Denis Naughten

Denis Naughten TD has said it is totally unacceptable that it took 11 months for the Department of Agriculture to name Kavanagh Meats of Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, for breach of the regulations of excessive beef carcass trimming.

“Since last January I have been questioning the Minister for Agriculture in Dáil Eireann to release the names of meat plants in breach of the beef trimming rules and even after all that the Minister failed to answer the question and instead referred to his Departmental website,” stated Denis Naughten.

“While incidents of breaches of the beef trimming rules have evaporated after the spotlight was placed on the industry, it clearly shows that naming plants in breach of the rules does help to improve compliance with the standards.

“But having to wait 11 months – and 6 Dáil questions later – just to get a reference to a website is not good enough. Those factories in breach of the rules need to be named immediately and assurance provided to the farmer that they will be fully compensated.

“It must be remembered that breaching these rules is directly taking money out of the pockets of hard-pressed beef farmers which is on top of the current depressed prices,” concluded Denis Naughten.

ENDS.

 

 

 

______________________________________________
For Written Answer on : 18/12/2019
Question Number(s): 363,364,365 Question Reference(s): 53859/19, 53860/19, 53861/19
Department: Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Asked by: Denis Naughten T.D.
______________________________________________

QUESTION

* To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the instances of non-compliance with carcase trim specifications his inspectors have identified in beef plants each month in 2019; when the names of the plants involved will be published; the payments made to the farmer supplier to reflect loss; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

– Denis Naughten T.D.

For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 18 December, 2019.

REPLY

To date, in 2019 officers from the Carcase Classification Division conducted over 580 inspections across 32 factories (mechanical and manual grading plants) and over 50,000 carcasses were inspected. In the mechanical grading plants only, there were 420 inspections on 43,000 carcasses across 23 factories.

During these inspections, officers also monitored compliance with the EU reference carcase presentation specification. To date, in 2019, there has been non-compliance found with the carcase trim specification in relation to one factory. The factory has been named on my Department’s website.

On the spot fines were issued in relation to this non-compliance. Any compensation payments made to a Farmer Supplier, including in relation to issues such as this, are a matter between the Farmer/Supplier and the Processor/plant.

 

 

Tuesday, 19 November 2019

What are written answers?

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Beef Industry Irregularities

All Written Answers on 19 Nov 2019 « Previous answer Next answer »

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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  1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 426, 427 and 428 of 12 November 2019, the month in which the factory concerned breached the excess carcase trimming specification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47745/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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In January 2019, one factory was fined for excess carcase trimming of three carcasses. Similar to last year, it is proposed to publish the names of all factories penalised for non-compliance with the regulation in December

 

 

Tuesday, 12 November 2019

What are written answers?

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Beef Industry Irregularities

All Written Answers on 12 Nov 2019 « Previous answer Next answer »

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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  1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason he has failed to publish the conformation and fat score data from all cattle from both the old and new machines in the carcase classification trial; if he will now publish the data in view of the urgent need to restore confidence in the beef grading system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46401/19]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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  1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of instances in which mechanical grading was suspended in meat plants in cases in which a machine was found to be working outside of tolerance and manual grading is instigated to date in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46402/19]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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  1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the instances of non-compliance with the carcase trim specifications his inspectors have identified in beef plants each month in 2019; the plants involved; the payments made to the farmer supplier to reflect loss; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46403/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 to 428, inclusive, together.

To date in 2019, there have been 508 unannounced inspections by my Department’s classification officers and over 44,000 carcasses checked for classification and carcase presentation. During this period, mechanical classification machines were turned off on 6 occasions and factories instigated manual grading of carcasses.

In 2019, one factory has been fined for excess carcase trimming of three carcasses. It is intended to publish the names of all factories that have been fined in 2019 on my Department’s website in due course.

Regarding the carcase classification trial, I have published the resultant report entitled ‘Independent Report on the modification trial of the Mechanical Beef Classification System currently in use in Ireland’. The trial was facilitated by my Department and carried out in Slaney Foods. The trial which was also supervised by an Independent Expert clearly shows that the modified technology will bring about increased accuracy over current systems.

The methodology and data comparisons to be used in such trials are defined in EU legislation. When evaluating the performance of machines in this regard, the machines’ grades are compared against expert classification officer grades. For transparency purposes, in the report, the results of both technologies are presented although not required by legislation for the authorisation of new equipment.

The Independent Expert and author of the report concluded that the results are beyond what is required in the EU legislation to approve such modifications and he confirmed that this trial significantly exceeds what is required where classification equipment is being modified rather than being authorised for the first time.

It is now a matter for industry to consider the implementation of this new technology.

 

 

 

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Meat Processing Plants

All Written Answers on 27 Mar 2019 « Previous answer Next answer »

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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  1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether it is not possible for factories to comply with the legal regulations set down for beef carcase trim; the steps he is taking to address this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14379/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The rules on trimming of carcases at meat plants are well established, and their execution is monitored by classification and control experts in my department.

In addition, the department has worked closely with meat plants to provide training in the standards required and has provided a photographic template illustrating acceptable and unacceptable trimming practices.

The controls applied by my department significantly exceed EU requirements. In 2019, they have been supplemented by additional monitoring by departmental staff in factories. These controls indicate a high level of compliance with the rules, and that the system functions effectively. This combination of significant engagement and additional monitoring and control has led to high levels of awareness of the necessary trim specification.

The nature of the manufacturing environment, differences in carcase shape and composition, and other variables, can result in variations in carcase trim between individual carcases from time to time. Where these exceptional cases involve trimming outside of specification, control officials require the meat plants to take immediate corrective action. In cases where my department forms the view that such errors are systematic or intentional, they may apply an on-the-spot fine. From 2019, Meat Industry Ireland has indicated that processors will introduce a payment to farmer suppliers to reflect any loss in cases where such a fine is applied.

 

 

Tuesday, 12 February 2019

What are written answers?

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Animal Slaughtering Standards

All Written Answers on 12 Feb 2019 « Previous answer Next answer »

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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  1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 848 of 15 January 2019, if he has applied a fine on a particular carcase for non-compliance with the carcase trim specification in January 2019; the plant involved; the payment made to the farmer supplier to reflect loss; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6635/19]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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  1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date when each of the mechanical classification machines was recalibrated in each meat plant; if he has received reports from the system provider of machines miscalculating grades; the number of times he has identified that the performance of machine grading has been outside the tolerance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6636/19]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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  1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of breaches identified during announced inspections in 2018 on the evaluation of standard of dressing records, concerning use of check weights, comparison of hot and cold weights and labelling particulars, respectively in each plant concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6637/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 535 to 537, inclusive, together.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1184 of 20 April 2017 governs the monitoring of carcase classification, carcase presentation and weighing. In 2018, my Department conducted almost 550 unannounced, on-the-spot inspections in 32 factories on classification and carcase presentation.

In all cases where a machine is found to be working outside of tolerance by my inspectors, manual grading is instigated immediately and this is advised to farmers through their remittance dockets. There were 8 instances in 2018 and 13 in 2017 when factories were instructed to revert to manual classification.

The system provider of classification machines does not provide reports on miscalculating grades.

As with any mechanical system, grading machines can from time to time fall out of tolerance. Machines operating outside of tolerance are required to be serviced, and the calibration is checked by staff from my Department before mechanical grading recommences. There were no issues discovered at inspection regarding check weights, comparison of hot and cold weights, labelling particulars.

The breaches of carcase dressing presentation in 2018 have been published already on the Department website. Regarding inspections in 2019 it is my intention to publish the resulting on-the-spot fines (if any), at the appropriate time when the inspections and the processes concerned are complete.

 

 

Tuesday, 15 January 2019

What are written answers?

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Animal Slaughtering Standards

All Written Answers on 15 Jan 2019 « Previous answer Next answer »

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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  1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the enhanced controls in place on carcase trimming in meat factories; if processors have introduced a payment to affected farmer suppliers to reflect losses incurred as a result of excessive trimming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1691/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Carcase classification and carcase presentation controls in slaughter plants are carried out by a dedicated team of specialist staff in the Beef Carcase Classification Section within my Department.

Additional monitoring of carcase presentation by my Department’s veterinary public health inspection staff (VPHIS) in the factories is currently being implemented in all factories since January 1st, 2019 and will provide a supporting role for the Beef Carcass Classification staff. This should provide further assurance to stakeholders that the appropriate dressing specification is being applied in factories. The controls applied in Ireland are significantly in excess of those required under EU Law.

From January 2019, Meat Industry Ireland has confirmed that processors will introduce a payment to the farmer supplier to reflect any loss, in each case where my Department applies a fine on a particular carcase for non-compliance with the carcase trim specification. Such a payment will be identified on the payment remittance docket, so that farmers will be aware of the penalty.