Irish Presidency convenes informal meeting with interested parties on horse meat issue

12-2-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney TD has today confirmed that he will convene a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday 13th February with EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy Tonio Borg and other relevant EU Ministers to consider the wider EU implications of the recent revelations concerning the presence of horse meat in beef products.

The Minister intends to discuss with the Commission and other relevant Ministers whatever steps may be necessary at EU level to comprehensively address this matter. The Minister has also arranged to have the issue on the agenda for the next Council of Agriculture Ministers later this month.

The Minister said he would continue to take whatever actions are necessary to ensure this issue is addressed in a comprehensive and effective manner.  “It is worth noting that it was because of the vigilance of our testing and control regime in Ireland that what is now a pan European problem was exposed.”

ENDS