Food « Thurles Information

Non-EEA Sea Fishers In Irish Fleet Become Eligible For Employment Permits.

Pathway to Employment Permits will allow for eventual transition to Stamp 4 immigration permission and its wider entitlements.

Government has today approved the publication of the Review of the Atypical Scheme for non-EEA Crew in the Irish Fishing Fleet. This report and its recommendations follow an extensive consultation process with stakeholders involved in the scheme.

Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mr Damien English and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Mr Charlie McConalogue jointly welcome Government support for the recommended changes to the employment of non-EEA fishers in the Irish fishing fleet.

The Atypical Working Scheme (AWS) for non-EEA Crew in the Irish fishing fleet was established in 2015, as a cross Departmental response to address claims of exploitation and trafficking of undocumented non-EEA workers on certain categories of vessels, in the Irish fishing fleet.

Currently, non-EEA fishers can apply through the Department of Justice for a permission under the Atypical Working Scheme to work on a specific Irish vessel for a period of up to 12 months, but they are not eligible for consideration for the granting of an employment permit by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

The key recommendation of the Review Group is that the employment of non-EEA crew in the Irish fishing fleet should be provided for under the Employment Permit system (administered by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment), instead of the Atypical Working Scheme (administered by the Department of Justice). The sector will be required to submit a comprehensive business case to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to support their inclusion in the Employment Permits System and a process of engagement has already begun in this regard.

The transition to the employment-permit based system would entitle employment permit holding Sea fishers to transition to a Stamp 4 immigration permission and the wider entitlements offered by that permission.

A cross-departmental group of senior officials in relevant departments and agencies will be established to oversee implementation of the transition from the current scheme to the Employment Permits Scheme. This group will be co-chaired by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The overall time frame for implementation of the report’s recommendations is expected to be approximately 12 months.

Publishing the report today, Minister McEntee said: “The publication of this report and its recommendations is the first step in putting non-EEA Sea fishers on a similar path to other Non-EEA nationals employed in the State in terms of entitlements and protections.

Non-EEA fishers and their employers will now be entitled to apply for an employment permit through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

These recommendations will also benefit Sea fishers employers, by streamlining the permission process and making it easier to recruit non-EEA Sea fishers.”

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said; “I have asked my Department to examine the Review Report and to work closely with the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment with a view to ensuring the full implementation of the recommendations. I have also tasked an Bord Iascaigh Mhara with providing the fishing sector with any practical assistance necessary to support of the sectors access to the Employment Permit Scheme”.

Welcoming the publication of the report, Minister of State Damien English said: “The recommendations in this Report will go a long way to addressing the concerns raised by stakeholders in the sector. Of course, the Employment Permits system works very differently from the Atypical Working Scheme so it is proper that there will be a phased implementation in order to identify and address any challenges which arise and deal with these in the most effective way possible.”

Concern For Irish Consumers When Buying Food.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last week welcomed the EU-wide research conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The 2022 Eurobarometer on food safety, the first to be commissioned since 2019, and focused on a range of topics including concerns about food safety, trust in sources of information on food risks, and personal interest in food safety.

When asked about factors affecting food purchases, Irish consumers ranked cost (63%) as the most important consideration, with taste (54%) and food safety (52%) following close behind. Strikingly, these results are higher overall than the average top concerns across the whole EU of cost (54%), taste (51%) and food safety (46%).

Other findings from the Eurobarometer include:

Chief among Irish food safety concerns are food poisoning from food or drinks contaminated by bacteria, viruses, and parasites (39%); pesticide residues in food (36%); and additives like colours, preservatives or flavourings used in food or drinks (29%).
A strong majority of Irish consumers (82% of men and 83% of women) would change their behaviour if made aware of a foodborne disease outbreak news story, with 90% of those aged 15–24 stating they would do so.
When asked for their reasons for not engaging with the EU food safety system, Irish consumers (47%) responded; “I take it for granted that the food sold is safe”.

Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI said, “In the current high cost of living climate and with rising household bills, it is not surprising to see that Irish consumers report cost as the main factor when purchasing food, up 6% since 2019. However, from a food safety perspective, it is encouraging to see that Irish consumers place food safety as the third most important factor when buying food.

Over 1,000 Irish consumers were interviewed as part of this research, and 90% of those agreed that regulations are in place to ensure that the food we eat is safe, with 84% of the same respondents trusting national authorities as a source of information on food risk, a figure almost 20% higher than the EU average (66%).

75% of Irish people interviewed said they had a personal interest in the topic of food safety. We want every Irish consumer to know that the FSAI is responsive and understanding of their concerns regarding food safety. We continue to work with food businesses in Ireland to ensure that food safety regulations are complied with and that Ireland maintains its positive reputation for producing safe food. Working in conjunction with the food inspectorate and other EU food safety authorities, we will continue to protect consumers and raise compliance through partnership, science, and food law enforcement,” Dr Byrne concluded.

Ready To Cook Southern Fried Chicken Fillets Recalled Due to Presence of Salmonella.

The product recalled is the Dunnes Stores, 4 Ready To Cook Southern Fried Chicken Fillets (Frozen); pack size: 500g, with best before date: March 1st 2024, and with the country of origin being the United Kingdom.

Dunnes Stores are recalling the above batch due to the presence of Salmonella. Point-of-sale recall notices are displayed in stores supplied with the implicated batch.

People infected with Salmonella typically develop symptoms between 12 and 36 hours after infection, but this can range between 6 and 72 hours.
The most common symptom is diarrhoea, which can sometimes be bloody. Other symptoms may include fever, headache, and abdominal cramps.
The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Diarrhoea can occasionally be severe enough to require hospital admission. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have more severe illness.

Consumers are advised not to eat the implicated batch.

Holycross Village Market, Saturday Afternoon Next.

Fiona Gleeson, The Village Market, Holycross reports:

“Come and join us this Saturday afternoon, September 3rd, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at ‘The Village Market’, Holycross, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

This is your community space to meet and enjoy local quality foods, gifts and crafts.

There are lots of spaces to sit and enjoy a hot lunch, coffee and a chat, with delicious home baked treats and fresh in season produce available to purchase.

We will have new and familiar talented crafters and artists at each market, where you can pick up unique crafts, gifts and paintings for all occasions. We have lots of plants and advice for the garden too.
Note: Free parking. Free admission. Live busking.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and thank you for visiting and supporting The Village Market.”

Two Thurles Eateries Honoured At Irish Restaurant Awards Night.

Not surprisingly, two Thurles eateries were honoured at the Munster Regional Finals of the Irish Restaurant Awards on Friday night last.

Naomi’s Café, situated on Friar Street, Thurles, took the award for ‘Best Café ‘, [Sponsored by Illy], while Mitchel House Restaurant on Mitchel Street, Thurles took the award for ‘Best Customer Service‘. [Sponsored By Restaurant-Insurance.ie Provided by Dolmen]

Both Thurles establishments will now go forward to the All-Ireland finals, latter which will take place on September 19th, next, in the Dublin Convention Centre.

Full details of the Munster Regional Award Winners 2022 Announced can be viewed HERE.