A joint investigation by authorities discovered an unsupervised food business preparing to slaughter geese to sell for Christmas, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
The investigation was conducted by the FSAI and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, as well as the local authority in Co. Carlow, where the business was found.
A compliance notice was subsequently served on the entity in question, the authority added.
In a brief statement on the matter, the FSAI said:
Investigation by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Kilkenny County Council found an unsupervised food business preparing to slaughter geese for the Christmas market.
“Compliance notice served. All food businesses must notify the relevant inspectorate before they start operating,” the statement added.
In a warning to food businesses, including home enterprises, earlier this week, on Monday (December 7) the authority stressed the relevant agencies that must be contacted prior to opening one’s doors.
The FSAI said: “You have to register your food business with a competent authority before you start operating, even if operating from home.”
- The local environmental health office (of the Health Service Executive);
- The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine;
- The Local Authority Veterinary Service;
- The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority.
Who you register with will depend on the type of business and whether foods of animal origin, for example meat, poultry, fish etc, are handled or processed, the FSAI adds.