Beef factories should replace their grading machines and have them checked every day, Roscommon-Galway independent TD Denis Naughten told the Dáil this Wednesday.
"In the UK these machines are checked on a daily basis and inaccuracies recorded, here they’re checked on a weekly basis but those inaccuracies are not recorded," Deputy Naughten said. He added that a full week's kill could be graded by an inaccurate machine as a result, causing farmers farmers to lose out on €139.60 on an average weight Angus bullock misgraded O4- instead of O4+.
As revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal recently, a number of grading machines and scales failed inspections in recent years.
Replacing
Naughten also argued that current machines were introduced 14 years ago, before the first iPhone was launched, and "need to be replaced immediately". He added that newer models could deliver digitised images of carcases to farmers on the day of slaughter.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Andrew Doyle replied that each factory currently receives 20 inspections a year on average – well above the minimum under EU law – though he agreed with Naughten on the idea of upgrading machines to provide instant carcase images to farmers.
"I’ll be sending a load of cattle to a factory very shortly myself and I’d be very happy if I had an accurate read-out," Doyle said.
Read more
Faulty scales in a number of factories and marts
Factory grading machines found to be inaccurate
Names of factories fined for excessive trim revealed
Beef factories should replace their grading machines and have them checked every day, Roscommon-Galway independent TD Denis Naughten told the Dáil this Wednesday.
"In the UK these machines are checked on a daily basis and inaccuracies recorded, here they’re checked on a weekly basis but those inaccuracies are not recorded," Deputy Naughten said. He added that a full week's kill could be graded by an inaccurate machine as a result, causing farmers farmers to lose out on €139.60 on an average weight Angus bullock misgraded O4- instead of O4+.
As revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal recently, a number of grading machines and scales failed inspections in recent years.
Replacing
Naughten also argued that current machines were introduced 14 years ago, before the first iPhone was launched, and "need to be replaced immediately". He added that newer models could deliver digitised images of carcases to farmers on the day of slaughter.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Andrew Doyle replied that each factory currently receives 20 inspections a year on average – well above the minimum under EU law – though he agreed with Naughten on the idea of upgrading machines to provide instant carcase images to farmers.
"I’ll be sending a load of cattle to a factory very shortly myself and I’d be very happy if I had an accurate read-out," Doyle said.
Read more
Faulty scales in a number of factories and marts
Factory grading machines found to be inaccurate
Names of factories fined for excessive trim revealed
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