ALLEGATIONS that the Eastern Health Board had not acted on concerns about food safety in Dublin butchers' shops because of "political manoeuvrings" were rejected last night.
The Local Authority Veterinary Officers' Association (LAVOA) claimed yesterday that prosecutions had not been taken against several meat traders and processors following breaches of food hygiene regulations. Mr Diarmuid Dooge, spokesman for the association, said there was serious concern about food safety in Co Dublin.
But in a statement last night the EHB said that in the cases mentioned by Mr Dooge the board's environmental health officers had inspected the premises.
"While some defects were noted in their inspection they did not consider there were sufficient grounds for initiating prosecutions at that time."
As is normal in these cases further inspection will take place. "It is our board's policy that where there is an actual, grave and immediate danger to the health of the public, a closure order would be immediately sought for the premises in question."
The comments follow an outbreak of E. coli 0157 which affected 13 mentally-handicapped children in a Dublin day-care centre. The LAVOA feels that "politics is getting in the way of public health" and it wants immediate prosecutions.
"We are very concerned at the situation, as a number of the people involved have previously been successfully prosecuted under the Food Hygiene Regulations," Mr Dooge said.
The EHB said: "This dispute goes back to an amendment to the Food Hygiene Regulations in 1988 which included the inspection of retail meat outlets as part of the responsibilities of environmental health officers.
"Prior to that this work was the responsibility of veterinary officers employed by local authorities who continue to be responsible for inspecting slaughter houses and meat carcasses.
Both environmental health and veterinary officers now insist on inspecting meat in butcher's shops.
"The traditional butcher shops, many with their own slaughter-house, have now of course changed considerably with the advent of supermarkets and delicatessens which involve environmental health officers in a wider role in food hygiene.
"There is now an inter-professional dispute, with both sets of professionals insisting on inspecting meat in butcher shops," the LAVOA statement added.
The Irish Master Butchers' Federation could not be contacted for comment last night on the LAVOA statement.