Food Safety and Food Animal Welfare
- Monaghan County Council is responsible for the supervision of small abattoirs (or slaughterhouses) in the county which slaughter cattle and sheep, and for the welfare of the animals slaughtered.
- Monaghan County Council is responsible for the supervision of small meat plants which prepare or cook or wholesale meat or meat based products for supply to hotels, restaurants, butchers and retailers.
- These businesses supply food to food businesses in Co. Monaghan, throughout the island of Ireland and may supply food to any country in the European Union. This involves regular inspections of the premises of these businesses to ensure that proper standards of buildings and equipment and proper standards of cleanliness, as set out in EU and Irish law, are being maintained. These standards are checked by testing samples of product from these premises to ensure their quality.
- This service is carried out by the County Veterinary Officer and two Temporary Veterinary Inspectors (TVIs).
- The TVIs are responsible for examining all cattle and sheep before and after slaughter to ensure that they are fit for human consumption and to ensure that the animals are properly handled and slaughtered with due regard for their welfare. The numbers slaughtered in 2010 were 1,646 cattle and 3,536 sheep.
The protection and the supervision of the food chain in Monaghan and in Ireland is co-ordinated by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and is delivered through different branches of government, namely, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Health Services Executive of the Department of Health and the local authorities e.g. Monaghan County Council.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine supervises farm animal production, large factories slaughtering cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry, large factories producing meat products such as sausages and cooked meats, egg production, milk processing plants, and factories producing animal feeds and also covers the harvesting, production and placing on the market of seafish. The Health Services Executive covers food businesses selling direct to the consumer including retailers, takeaways, restaurants and hotels, nursing homes and hospitals. In Monaghan, supervision of these businesses is carried out by the Environmental Health Officers of the Cavan-Monaghan division of the Health Services Executive. These agencies, along with the local authorities, combine to ensure the regulation of food production from farm to fork.
Details of Local Slaughterhouses:
Shortts Ltd, Main St, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan – Approval No. 2462
Jim Shortt slaughters cattle and sheep sourced from local farmers and supplies carcase meat to his own shop in Castleblayney. He also supplies fresh meat and meat products to other local establishments
Gerard & Martin Quinn, Laragh, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan – Approval No. 2649
Gerard & Martin Quinn slaughter cattle and sheep sourced from local farmers and supply carcase meat to butchershops in Castleblayney, Ballybay and Carrickmacross.
Hugh & PJ Maguire, Lr. Fermanagh St., Clones, Co. Monaghan – Approval No. 2650
Hugh & PJ Maguire slaughter cattle and sheep sourced from local farmers and supply carcase meat to their own shop in Clones.
Jim Duffy, Drumalish, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan – Approval No. 2709
Jim Duffy slaughters cattle and sheep sourced from local farmers in Monaghan and Louth and supplies carcase meat to butchershops in Castleblayney, Ballybay and Monaghan and to butchershops in other counties.
Details of Local Small Meat Plants:
Farney Foods, Cloughvalley Industrial Estate, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan - Approval No. 2315
Farney Foods prepares and cooks hams with pork sourced from slaughter plants in Ireland for supply to restaurants, delicatessens and retailers all over Ireland.
Duffys Pork and Bacon Ltd, Tullycara, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan - Approval No. 2328
Gerry Duffy prepares joints and cuts of fresh pork and distributes fresh pork, rashers, sausages and cooked ham and puddings to restaurants and retailers throughout the North East region.
The Real Meal Company, Hilden, Monaghan - Approval No. 2464
The Real Meal Company produces chicken and beef-based heat-and-eat meals, pre-cooked sausages and distribute cooked chicken wings in batter for delicatessen and retail sale.
Quinn’s Quality Meats, Main St, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan – Approval No. 2734
Quinn’s Quality Meats produces roast beef, cooked ham and turkey and supplies restaurants and retailers in the North East region.
Treanor Poultry, Knockaconny, Monaghan – Approval No. 2750
Treanor Poultry prepares cuts of poultry and distributes fresh and cooked poultrymeat to hotels, restaurants, butchershops and retailers in Co. Monaghan.
Country Meadow Meats, Latton, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan – Approval No. 2760
Country Meadow Meats processes beef and lamb carcases for the home deep freeze and distributes beef and other fresh meats to hotels, restaurants and butchershops in the North East region.