Labour proposes stringent measures on food safety in policy document

A NEW Labour Party policy on food proposes expanding the role of the new Food Safety Authority and introducing more extensive independent monitoring of Irish food products. It also calls for the testing of all farm animals for drug residues before slaughter.

Should Labour form the next administration, it is clear that it intends establishing as a fundamental principle of any programme for government that "the welfare concerns and rights of consumers must take precedence over all aspects of the Irish food industry", which currently accounts for £4 billion in annual exports. A further £4 billion is spent on food annually by households.

The document spells out more specific measures on food safety and monitoring than the recently announced Fianna Fail policy. It includes proposals to expand the auditing and supervisory flowers of the Food Safety Authority to establish a commissioner of food safety within its ambit to ensure food regulations are implemented and to commission far greater independent food research in Ireland.

On its differentiation between consumers and the food sector including farmers, the policy acknowledges public concerns "centring on food safety, nutritional merit, cost as well as ethical concerns in relation to the methods by which food is produced".

The document was drawn up by Dr Pat Upton TD, who is a nutritionist.

It stops short of calling for a Department of Food separate from the Department of Agriculture, but it is understood Dr Upton favours such a development provided the former is adequately financed and has appropriate structures. The policy notes, however, that the Department of Agriculture is primarily focused on the needs and concerns of the farming community".

The BSE crisis, it finds, has raised very serious questions about food safety. "This increased concern has been shown to make a big impact on the patterns of food consumption ... The public now demands genuine performance in consumer protection, not just promises from farmers, processors, distributors and politicians."

To support the Food Safety Authority, it suggests setting up a central laboratory attached to a university campus to compile and analyse data and forge scientific links with equivalent facilities in Britain, Europe and the US. It would concentrate its activities on food borne pathogens, notably salmonella, campylobacter and E coli 0157 which has caused 18 deaths in Britain recently.

Other proposals include:

. reduction in the level of additives in foods to the lowest levels compatible with safety, convenience and cost.

. testing of all farm animals for drug residues before slaughter as part of a veterinary postmortem examination.

. making it a criminal offence to allow for sale animal products for human consumption if minimal withdrawal periods after administration of drugs have not been adhered to measures to control over use of fertiliser and food waste disposal.

. improved licensing for use of pesticides/herbicides.

"Labour endorses more extensive labelling of all food and proposes a specially targeted programme of nutritional information designed to ameliorate risks and consequences of eating disorders.