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The Department of Agriculture has addressed allegations that it has commenced an investigation into falsified records at a knackery premises.
The allegation was made in the Sunday Times, which claims that investigators from the Department’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) are attempting to identify and trace large quantities of meat processed at the knackery.
The Sunday Times alleges that the SIU is trying to establish whether the meat could have entered the food chain.
Investigation
When questioned by the Irish Farmers Journal, the Department of Agriculture did not confirm or deny that an investigation is under way into false knackery records.
However, a spokesperson for the Department told the Irish Farmers Journal:
“The Department has received no reports that meat harvested at the knackeries has illegally entered the food chain.
“If any such information is available, it should be brought to the attention of the Department, who will investigate.”
The spokesperson added that no audits of the knackeries by the European Commission or any other European agency have taken place over the last number of years.
He added that knackeries, officially known as Category 2 Intermediate plants, are approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the EU Animal By-Products Regulation 1069 of 2009 and its implementing Regulation 142 of 2011, and are subject to control by the Department.
FSAI knackery audit
In May 2017, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) published a reported on its targeted audit of the controls that prevent animal by-products from entering the food chain.
The audit was focused in particular on the sale of animal by-product to dog owners such as hunts and greyhound owners.
It reported that only seven of 11 knackeries were found to be compliant with basic structure and hygiene requirements.
The FSAI reported that in one intermediate plant in particular, there were significant non-compliances in relation to traceability, there were no documented procedures in place and the business operator did not have a record of the stock held on site.
Loophole closed
This week, it emerged that a new regulation brought in by the Minister for Agriculture will require knackeries to notify the Department of Agriculture with the ID number of a fallen animal within seven days.
The move will close a loophole which saw some knackeries delay notifying a death to the Department until farmers cleared their accounts with the knackery.
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