Customs to crack down on risky food imports
A new agreement aims to further safeguard the safety of foodstuffs of non-animal origin imported from countries outside the EU.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said that it had formalised agreement with the Customs and Excise Service of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners.
This agreement is to provide greater protection against the importation of foodstuffs that are, or could be, unfit for human consumption.
In effect, it enables customs officers to work with the FSAI and the health board Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) on matters relating to the inspection of non-animal foodstuffs from third countries on entry into Ireland.
Customs officers will be able to prevent the release of the products onto the market if these are a serious and immediate risk to public health. They can take similar action if the products are not accompanied by the correct documentation or are not labelled in compliance with food legislation.
FSAI chief executive Dr Patrick Wall said it was an important step to enhance monitoring of imports into Ireland.
“FSAI officials will work in close co-operation with custom officials with an overall objective of ensuring the safety of food imported into Ireland from third countries and the protection of consumers from illness related to food,” he said.
Dr Wall said the FSAI is continually seeking an enhancement of food safety standards from Irish food businesses.
It would be inequitable and unfair if its demands for high standards makes them uncompetitive and they lose their market share to products from abroad which have not met the same exacting standards.
Revenue Commissioner Josephine Feehily said there was a very good working relationship and co-operation between customs officers and EHOs at local level regarding the importation of non-animal food products into Ireland from non-EU countries.
The EU monitoring mission recommended in its report that this relationship be formalised. She was pleased the memorandum of understanding had achieved a clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of both parties.
Greater port monitoring of food imports from countries outside the EU comes as the European Commission tightens up its own legislation. It has warned that people found guilty of serious breaches of proposed new controls under EU food and feed laws will face criminal sanctions.
European Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne revealed this at the Veterinary Officers Association AGM in Tullamore, Co Offaly, earlier this month.
He praised the determination with which Irish authorities have used domestic legislation to prosecute and punish, by means of the criminal justice system, people who had committed terrible food safety crimes.
Mr Byrne said there are wider lessons to be learned from this approach throughout the EU, and into an enlarged union of 25 States from April of next year.
“This is why my proposals contain provision for criminal sanctions. Experience has brought it home to me that we need to augment the current system of sanctions for failure to comply with EU food and feed laws,” he said.
