Former food safety chief to chair Horse Sport Ireland

The former chief executive of the Food Safety Authority, Patrick Wall — who was prominent in the recent burger horsemeat controversy — is to become chairman of Horse Sport Ireland.

Professor Wall’s name will be put before the HSI board for ratification tomorrow, having been identified by Sport Minister Leo Varadkar as a replacement for former agriculture minister Joe Walsh. Mr Wall’s selection by Mr Varadkar was made in consultation with Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney.

The UCD associate professor of public health is one of the world’s leading experts on the subject and was on the committee advising the Beijing Food Authority on food safety controls for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.