Last thing the beef industry needs is internal sabotage
That’s welcome news for the beef sector, which often seems to find itself on the brink of some kind of major setback.
There was major fear that a Mercosur trade agreement between the EU and South American countries would derail the beef industry — even if the snail’s pace speed of trade negotiations would ensure most existing beef farmers would be retired by the time it came about.
However, there was no initial offer on beef in the talks, bringing relief for fearful EU beef lobbyists.
Unfortunately, if the citizens of the UK vote next week to leave the EU, one of the first things the UK government would do is to negotiate bilateral trade agreements with South America, posing an even bigger threat to the nearly 50% of Irish beef exports which end up on UK supermarket shelves.
Therefore, the last thing the beef industry needs is internal sabotage in the form of using illegal growth promoters.
The industry has rightly acknowledged the role of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and its food safety regulatory system and traceability actions in detecting and controlling illegal substances on farms.
Although much maligned by farmers, the Department’s Special Investigations Unit is, not for the first time, coming to their rescue by investigating illegalities.
When someone is so unscrupulous as to put the entire industry in danger by using clenbuterol — banned in meat since 1991 in the USA and since 1996 in the EU, due to the severe symptoms it causes in humans — only an organisation with the expertise and powers of the SIU can lay down the law.
As ICMSA President John Comer noted, it was very disappointing that an individual would use such substances in their livestock, but he welcomed the news that the Irish controls stood up to scrutiny, the problem was identified early, and there is no risk to public health.
ICSA president Patrick Kent also our systems for traceability are working, and transgressions are detected, as he condemned without reservation the use of clenbuterol, also known as angel dust.
IFA president Joe Healy also acknowledged the stringent tests to protect the food chain.
It may be significant that clenbuterol was being used on a farm even though prices are significantly ahead of the 2010-12 slump, having risen as much as 16% in 2015.
If unscrupulous operators are prepared to use illegal substances even when prices have improved, it is clear that the Department of Agriculture must remain ever vigilant.
