Major food safety crisis had been forewarned

EXPECT another major food safety crisis before the industry gets its act together, Irish experts warned prophetically, at the British Cattle Veterinary Association meeting held recently in Killarney.

Unsustainable lengthening of the food supply chain was identified as a common and important underlying cause of a spate of widespread and global food security problems, by ex-Teagasc director Liam Downey, now at NUI, Maynooth; and Michael Doherty and Gordon Purvis of UCD.

They said what is generally referred to as the food supply chain was no longer a chain. “Rather, it comprises a series of virtually independent components, each primarily concerned with its own efficiency and profitability.” Sharing of knowledge, mutual understanding and trust between farmers, food processors, retailers and consumers was declining and ultimately ceasing.