Health (Country of Origin of Beef) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 307 of 2006) (Note: this S.I. only applies to food businesses providing prepared beef to consumers)
Amended by
- Health (Country of Origin of Beef) (Amendment)Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 85 of 2007)
S .I. 307 of 2006 and its amendment S.I. No. 85 of 2007 are intended primarily for the catering and food service sector. The regulations place an obligation on restaurants and other catering establishments to communicate information on the country of origin of beef to the consumer.
The Regulations define “Prepared beef” as:
"means beef, within the meaning assigned to it by Regulation (EC) No. 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000, which has been cooked or otherwise prepared for human consumption in the caterer's establishment and beef within that meaning which has been bought in cooked"
A caterer providing prepared beef to consumers must not
- advertise the beef for sale or supply;
- present it for sale or supply or
- sell or supply it
unless the country or countries of origin of the beef is indicated at the point of advertising, presenting, sale and supply in clear legible type on the advertisement, menu or other presentation used.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has published Guidelines for Environmental Health Officers for Enforcement of the Health (Country of Origin of Beef) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 307 of 2006), as amended. These guidelines aim to provide assistance in the interpretation of the Regulations. A leaflet titled Advice for Caterers on the Country of Origin of Beef Labelling Requirements has also been published.