Beef labelling convictions
While applying the Probation Act, the District Judge required the food business to donate €12,000 to St Vincent de Paul, and awarded €1,500 expenses to the council. And the Food Safety Authority of Ireland secured a conviction in the District Court against a food business operator for illegal labelling of food in June 2007. Fines and expenses totalling over €18,000 were imposed.
The examples of labelling enforcement were given by Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith in the Dáil in reply to Deputy John Deasy. He said all agencies concerned check on compliance with labelling legislation in the course of their routine inspections of food premises, and there is a commitment to enforce the regulations. However, farmers are unhappy with the level of enforcement, and want consumers to help them root out non-compliance with country of origin labelling of meats in shops and restaurants.
