The legacies of angel dust, antibiotics residues and BSE have damaged consumer confidence in the commitment of Irish farmers to producing safe wholesome food, farmers attending the national livestock show in Tullamore, Co Offaly, were told yesterday.
The warning came from Dr Patrick Wall, chief executive of the Food Safety Association of Ireland, who was addressing the first forum on food safety held at the show. He said many farmers underestimated the need consumers have for assurances.
"In the light of the series of recent outbreaks of food poisoning, the onus on the farmer is now even greater to reassure consumers that their food is produced to the highest standards of hygiene and safety," he said.
He warned the many farmers who attended the forum that those who ignored consumer demands would do so at their peril. Food safety was now a major trade issue, and purchasers of Irish food at home and abroad were demanding that certain standards be met.
"In the past it was adequate to portray the green, clean Irish images to sell our produce abroad. This isn't good enough any more," he said.
"Now Ireland is being asked new questions about the structures we have in place to ensure Irish food is safe, about the level of E. coli in our cattle, the level of salmonella in our pigs and poultry and other such specific information," he said.
"We are now being asked to prove that we are committed to producing a clean green product," said Dr Wall.
He commended farmers on their enormous commitment to producing wholesome food and said they had made enormous strides in recent years to improving quality and safety.
"But all farmers need to accept they are food producers just the same as processors, wholesalers, restaurants and retailers. The production of safe food involves a chain of responsibility, and every participant in the continuum from farm to fork has a role to play to ensure food is as safe as practically possible," said Dr Wall.
"The chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and farmers, as the first link in this chain, need to be aware of all the food safety issues and need to be able to demonstrate that they operate safe production systems," he said.
"To do this farmers will need to be registered and inspected like any other food business. The proposed National Beef Assurance Scheme is the first step in this direction," he said.
He said farmers had to seize every opportunity to demonstrate they were addressing consumer concerns and he advised them to build on their strengths, saying the standard of stockmanship in this country was of the highest calibre.
Producing healthy stock with minimum use of antibiotics, producing crops and vegetables with minimum chemical input and being conscious of hygiene at all times should not present any problem for farmers.