Busquin checks out Irish FPD

During a visit to the Teagasc National Food Centre last week EU Commissioner for research, Philippe Busquin - holding the purse strings to a €700m food quality research budget - witnessed new technology on food product development and food safety blueprints at the Teagasc National Food Centre.

The project funded by the EU 6th Framework Programme, is under the aegis of scientists at the Irish agriculture and food development authority (Teagasc) and involves researchers and industry personnel in 13 EU states as well as Poland, Hungary, US and Canada.

The aim of the study is to develop new methods of assessing the risk to consumers of food poisoning by combining all of the scientific knowledge on food borne pathogens into a strategy that targets the critical steps in the food chain, said the director of the Teagasc National Food Centre, Dr Vivion Tarrant.

Commissioner Busquin, who was on his first visit to Ireland, is responsible for a multibillion research budget which is allocated to research institutes throughout the EU, based exclusively on scientific merit. The research programme at the Teagasc National Food Centre is a substantial beneficiary of this budget.

The team at the centre also demonstrated to Busquin the outcome of new research, in combination with scientists in France and Wales, on the production of beef with a healthy nutritional profile.

"Our scientists have found that cattle fed on a diet of fresh grass produce a tender and flavoursome meat that is leaner than beef produced from grain. This beef has a nutritional profile that is more compatible with current human dietary recommendations,"​ said Dr. Tarrant.

"The commissioner also showed a keen interest in Teagasc work aimed at identifying the gene sequences that are linked to tenderness and nutritional composition of beef. This work, which is at the forefront of biotechnology, involves collaboration between our scientists and the Meat Functional Genomics Group in Michigan State university,"​ added the centre's director.

Research groups across Europe are keen to benefit from the EU's 6th Framework Programme that has earmarked nearly €700m for research into food quality and safety over the next five years.

During his one-day visit to Ireland, Commissioner Busquin also had discussions on Ireland's science and technology policy with Mary Harney, Tanaiste and Irish minister for enterprise, trade and employment.