THE establishment of an independent Food Safety Board of Ireland was welcomed by a number of groups yesterday.
The Consumers' Association of Ireland said that for too long consumer and producer interests in food had been handled together at ministerial and departmental level "where the producer had the dominant influence".
The board should have a comprehensive brief which would encompass all EU food related directives and ensure their enforcement, a statement said. Legislation should also be formulated in order to underpin the new body.
The Irish Farmers' Association resident, Mr John Donnelly, said farmers would fully co operate with all necessary measures to safeguard public health and reassure consumers of the safety of all Irish food products.
In order to have credibility with consumers both at home and abroad and guarantee the safety of Irish food, the board must be scientifically based and comprise independent experts in public health, food science and animal and plant health, he said.
Mr Jimmy Somers, vice president of SIPTU said the board was only the first step towards ensuring proper standards of hygiene and safety were operating in the food sector.
Following the controversies involving "angel dust", BSE and antibiotics in pork, it was dear the regulatory bodies had tailed the consumer, he said.
Ms Kathleen Lynch TD, Democratic Left, said the "compensation culture" which had grown among large farmers was at the root of producers' perceived indifference to consumers.
"The new body must be driven by two primary considerations: the primacy of food safety and quality and the need for that safety to be determined by independent scientific and veterinary criteria, rather than producers' interests or farming politics," she said.