Irish food plants to undergo surprise inspections following heavy criticism by EU authorities

The Irish government has announced that food processing plants will no longer be given advance warning about inspections “except where such notice is necessary.” The stance, outlined in an internal memo to officials, follows heavy criticism by European Commission (EC) auditors about Ireland’s inspection procedures.

The Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine tells Food Ingredients First that the note was a “routine procedural notice.” In the memo, reportedly circulated by the department’s deputy chief veterinary officer, Michael Sheahan, he says the requirement that inspections should be unannounced had been a “recurring theme” in several EU audits, according to the Irish Independent.

Notifying premises about inspections was a “carryover” from COVID-19, when officials needed to ensure staff were physically present on the day of plant inspections, EC auditors previously said. The practice was also contrary to EU regulations and the department’s internal procedures. 

The EC said it was a rule breach in a system of “unreliable” inspections, which it considered “not fit for purpose.” In addition, there was also “widespread and systemic” failure by the Irish government to ensure producers met EU standards. Sheahan told officials that unannounced inspections would require “a mindset change” and a shift in how audits are planned and carried out. 

A routine procedural notice

A spokesperson for Ireland’s Department of Agriculture says that the memo was recently issued to regional managers in its One Health, One Welfare area, reminding them of relevant legislation. 

“[The legislation] states that ‘official controls shall be performed without prior notice, except where such notice is necessary and duly justified for the official control to be carried out.’ Documents were provided giving guidance on announced versus unannounced inspections and giving some examples from recent EU audits from across the EU of compliant and non-compliant inspections,” they say. 

As an EU member state, Ireland must follow and implement EU regulations on food safety. In its annual report last year, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) warned of a rise in “complex” and serious food incidents. The FSAI handled nearly 800 food incidents, of which more than half were serious. Although down from previous years, it highlighted significant concerns about food safety due to increasingly complicated supply chains.

The EC did not respond to a request for comment at the time of writing.