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A LONG-RUNNING funding dispute could mean the shutting of local abattoirs in the run-up to Christmas.
The Irish Farmers Journal has reported that the dispute between the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and county managers from the local authorities could mean that thousands of households may not be able to have a turkey dinner this Christmas.
The dispute relates to the management and funding of veterinarians who certify small-scale abattoirs.
These abattoirs would slaughter 100,000 turkeys that would likely end up on Christmas dinner tables, from small producers around the country.
Social Democrat TD for Cork South West Holly Cairns said that she had raised the issue of vets who certify small abattoirs with the Minister for Agriculture and that there “seems to have been a policy change in this area which has failed to consider the full implications”.
A temporary solution over the summer has ceased, and around €1 million is needed to fund the service.
Talks between the FSAI and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) have reached a stalemate, with the CCMA confirming it will terminate the contract on 30 November.
Fórsa’s Peter Nolan, who represents the local authority veterinarians, said these vets are “caught in the middle” and has called on both sides to enter talks to find a solution.
The Farmers Journal also reported that farmers have been caught unawares by the dispute and worried about the effect it could have on their main source of annual income.
“We’ll be left in limbo with no way to kill the birds in time for our Christmas customers,” one farmer said.
Cairns added: “This has come as a complete surprise to many in the industry and is a completely unnecessary disruption at a crucial time for the year for farmers and small family-run abattoirs.
“If it is harder to access a vet to certify an abattoir it will undoubtedly result in the closure of abattoirs. These piecemeal closures may seem insignificant and accidental but they are driven by policy decisions like this one.
“This kind of policy has been forcing small butchers and abattoirs to close down for years now, it has been disastrous and is a display of government favoritism towards bigger business in the meat industry consistently eroding farmers and workers rights.”
In a statement to TheJournal.ie, a spokesperson for the FSAI said: “The FSAI has sought to resolve with the local authorities the issue of the service contract arrangements, that ultimately protect consumer health. It also wished to align the cost of the service with its available funding. The FSAI has been in continual discussions with the Department of Health, its funding department, on the matter.
It is essential that an alternative system of food safety controls is put in place immediately to commence on 1 December 2020. This will enable the continued operation of the 529 food businesses that are supervised by the local authorities, including 176 slaughterhouses that would otherwise be unable to operate. The FSAI will exert all efforts to seek a smooth transition to put in place a system of food safety controls that will ensure effective supervision of these small slaughterhouses and meat processing establishments and continued protection of consumer health.
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An electric fence to stop swimmers going in would probably be more effective!
Doubt it, humans are pretty dumb
Unprecedented for sharks to attack you in their home!! Their bloody home. Sharks never attack anything dry. Remember that.
Increased shark attacks are a good indicator of over-fishing. This is a band-aid solution to a much bigger problem that is being ignored.
Feed the sharks. Let them know it’s Christmas time.
Dame sharks looking for meal how dare they!
Rule should be simple, enter the water and you make yourself shark bate end of, no one else’s fault when you lose your limbs
What’s a Dame shark? One that’s received an order of the British Empire?
Aren’t selfie-sticks even more dangerous?
Australia (or anyone else) has no right to “get tough with sharks”. FFS. The oceans are their element – they can exist nowhere else. They are an essential part of the chain of life and they’re being slaughtered in their millions because of a stupid film, and Chinese superstition. Swim in a bleedin’ pool if you’re too warm, Ozzies, or take to the sea when there are no sharks present. Also, cut down on the over fishing – everything in the ocean is hungrier than ever because we are sweeping it of all food sources..
Has anyone even considered sending some Marines in to infiltrate and bite the sharks?
Funny, reading this you’d think its a mass shark feeding frenzy out there. But I was down at bondi beach yesterday and as usual there were about 100 surfers in the water. They don’t seem too bothered. Wouldn’t get me in there though, fook that. Maybe I need to stay off the journal for a while..
Sharks are massive, unpredictable and have big teeth. All makes for good news. Hundreds of thousands of Australians enjoy the water every week without being attacked. Things that people fear and things that are likely to kill them are very different things.
Turning the sea into a zoo they are.
Erm. . The sharks are doing the same thing they’ve been doing for around 450 MILLION YEARS.. they’ve been on the planet longer than humans and survived 5 mass extinctions, yet now in 2015 they’re suddenly the bad guys becsuse idiots can’t leave them to their natural habitat.
The chances of having an encounter with a shark are slim to none. You enter the water at your own risk.
Forgive me for going off topic, but wow, what a picture. Great snap. That seal must have more lives than a cat.
Get out of the water!!
Poor Jaws gets a bad rep..It’s not the worst of the bunch. http://m.thenewdaily.com.au/news/2015/06/26/deadliest-australian-animals/
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