Publication of Animal Feed Test Results
The Minister is considering annual publication of feed analysis results and says checks are being expanded, while legal constraints may prevent naming individual firms. Department officers take samples for analysis at the State Laboratory, and proceedings are pursued where appropriate.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he intends to make public the results of his Department's animal feed analysis.
Comment on this
I am at present considering the possibility of publishing on an annual basis, the results of laboratory tests carried out on animal feeding stuffs samples taken by my Department to determine their analytical composition.
Comment on this
I welcome that news. The farmer is being ripped off, not only by the co-operatives but by the private compounders. There is little point in having a monitoring team unless the results are to be made public. Also, could the Minister have more regular spot checks on animal foodstuffs and compounds?
Comment on this
We are stepping up the nature and extent of the checks being undertaken, but I want to remind the Deputy that to achieve what he and I would wish, namely the adherence to standards, there are certain legal constraints with regard to the publication of results from individual firms and I would not like the Deputy to misunderstand what I said about publication in that case. It is important to protect the legal possibility because that route can then be taken and has in fact been implemented a number of times recently. However the law officers have advised me that there may be problems if matters are published in advance in respect of individual firms as distinct from general publication of the nature and extent of the results of the survey.
Comment on this
In view of what the Minister has said, are there problems of a comparative nature in having these tests carried out in different laboratories and is there anyone qualified in the Minister's Department to do such analysis for the country?
Comment on this
Yes, the samples are taken by officers from my Department but they are analysed at the State laboratory to see if the guaranteed analysis as shown by the manufacturer on the label of the ration is correct. I think that is how it should be done. It is very effective and, as I have indicated to the Deputy, certain legal proceedings have already been launched and I am quite satisfied that other proceedings will be taken where appropriate.