Reform of food safety legislation vital, says commission
Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne said it was doing so on the back of several food-related crises, including BSE and dioxin. Mr Byrne, speaking at a meeting in Dublin with the broad-based Department of Agriculture and Food Consumer Liaison Panel, with Mairead McGuinness as chairperson, said the consumers' day had arrived in policy-making terms.
He said the commission was therefore creating a new comprehensive regulatory framework for food safety Many of the building blocks are now in place and many more are in the pipeline - such as initiatives on food and feed control, food labelling, hygiene, GM foods, fortified and nutritional and health-related claims.
The discussion with Mrcommissioner Byrne also focused on food labelling, animal and plant health, and animal welfare as well as aspects of the CAP mid-term review and enlargement. On animal welfare, Mr Byrne said further proposals are planned notably in the areas of animal identification rules on imports and protection of animals during transport.
"This is an emotive issue and one where we must provide an appropriate response to the demands of our citizens' demands, for the decent and humane treatment of animals," he said.
