Farms face new food rules
“We are some 15 months away from these regulations coming into play”, said Department of Agriculture and Food principal officer Andy Irving in the Oireacthas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food, where he recently outlined the legislation proposals which will applying to all food business operators.
Primary food producers, such as farmers, will be brought under food legislation in a systematic way for the first time, when Ireland enacts the EU proposal for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption.
Mr Irving said primary producers will have to apply for registration. although they will not have to meet any specific conditions to be registered.
Unless they are producing feed for other farms, they will be excluded from the demanding Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) requirements which will become compulsory for all other food business operators.
The main specific requirements for farmers and other primary producers will be:
To keep facilities used in connection with primary production clean and, where necessary, disinfected.
To keep clean and, where necessary, disinfect, equipment, containers, crates and vehicles.
To ensure the cleanliness of animals going for slaughter.
To ensure that staff handling foodstuffs are in good health and undergo training in health risks.
To store and handle waste and hazardous substances to prevent contamination.
To report suspected outbreaks of contagious diseases to the competent authority.
To use feed additives, veterinary medicinal products, plant protection products and biocides correctly.
And to keep records of the nature and origin of feed fed to animals, veterinary medicinal products or other treatments given to animals, the use of plant protection products and biocides, the occurrence of diseases or pests and the results of any relevant analyses carried out on samples taken from animals or plants.
However, the legislation will also require advance notification to slaughterhouse operators, who may not accept animals for slaughter if they have not requested and received the relevant food safety information provided in the records kept by farmers at least 24 hours before the arrival of the animals at the slaughterhouse.
Direct supply by producers of small quantities of primary products to the final consumer will not come within the scope of the 2006 regulations. For example, farmers’ markets will be excluded.
Mr Irving told the Oireacthtas Joint Committee, “The Departments and the official agencies consulted widely while the proposals were under negotiation.
“We are satisfied that the regulations represent a balance between the need for food safety and the needs of food business operators.
“The hygiene package is a consolidation of existing controls, to a large degree, with some new additions. It should not have any significant impact on the competitiveness of the Irish food industry.
“We will talk to people, listen to what they say and do our best to accommodate as many people as possible, particularly those who come under national rules, whereby we can set our own case for regulations.”
He said the onus will be on food business operators to make the application for either registration or approval. Approval may be given if establishments meet all the requirements of the regulations on foot of an on-site inspection.
There is provision for conditional approval for up to six months under certain conditions, provided there is no food hygiene risk.
Provisions are also made for existing approved premises or premises, which did not previously require approval, to continue in operation until an inspection takes place. Once its premises are approved, a food business operator may market its products throughout the EU.
