14th March, 2013

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association president, Gabriel Gilmartin, has said that the Minister for Agriculture must take a much tougher stance with meat processors who fail to meet traceability standards.  

Responding to news that operations have been suspended at a horse slaughtering plant in Offaly, Mr Gilmartin said, “This simply emphasises again that the Minister will have to start imposing serious financial penalties on processors where identification irregularities have been found.”  

“We will not clean up the meat industry until such time as processors who do not live up to traceability standards are made to face serious consequences.  No mercy is shown to farmers who do not fully comply with the traceability standards imposed on them.  It is now beyond a doubt that this approach must also be applied to processors.”