THE OIREACHTAS Committee that examined the dioxin crisis in the pig industry is to recommend a reversal of the Budget policy to amalgamate the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) with two other bodies.
A draft of the final report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture seen by The Irish Times has also proposed the FSAI’s remit be extended to incorporate animal feed.
“The committee considers the FSAI to be of vital importance in the maintenance of consumer confidence during crises such as the contamination incident,” said the report.
“It urges the reversal of the Budget proposal to amalgamate the FSAI with two other bodies, [The Irish Medicines Board and the Office of Tobacco Control], which would have the effect of diluting the authority’s current single focus,” it said.
It has also recommended that the animal feed chain be categorised as a higher level of risk than in the past. The crisis began when pig and cattle feed became contaminated with dioxin-laden oil which led to the total recall of all pork products from September 1st to December 6th last.
The report, which will be presented to both Houses of the Oireachtas for debate, said potential oil contamination must be incorporated into feed plants’ HACCP – Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points – safety control plans.
The committee said it was a matter for concern that neither regulatory bodies carried out an inspection of the Millstream plant during 2008 but conceded that had this happened, contaminated oil would not have been identified as a potential hazard.
On the recall itself, which cost the taxpayer €180 million in compensation, the committee acknowledged that the sole concern of the FSAI, which ordered it, was food safety and this assisted consumer confidence in this regard.
“The speed of the recall also assisted the European Food Safety Authority to conclude that the limited exposure to contaminated product did not give rise to any public health concern,” it said.
On the traceability of pork products, the committee considered that full traceability could be achieved at least at the level of primary processing and urged that a pilot batch recall be carried out to assess its effectiveness.
“The committee also believes the artisan sector, which can effect full traceability, must be given special consideration in any future such event,” it said.
On the product recall, the committee had some concerns about the compensation package put in place after the recall as there was a danger compensation might be sought for produce that did not originate in Ireland.
“The Department of Agriculture must be vigilant in ensuring this does not occur. More importantly, the department must ensure that affected producers receive their agreed compensation in a timely fashion,” it said.
It said some retailers sought compensation from producers for loss of profit as well as the cost price, something the committee considered to be “unscrupulous exploitation of an already damaged sector”.