Scroll Down for various articles relating to Markets...
This little shot shows Fingal Ferguson and Gwen Laserre (both Licensed
Market traders) from the West Cork Convivia dynamically supporting Market
Rights by establishing Trading Rights in Ballydehob - the following Sunday
Ballydehob held it's first Market again for over 30 years!
Traditional Market Rights to be Extinguished
“Use it or Lose it” clause in Casual Trading Act comes into force at the end of April.
At present, there are market rights in thousands of towns and villages throughout Ireland, and a number of court cases taken against market traders have confirmed that these rights are valid (see background below)
However, under the 1995 Casual Trading Act, these market rights will be automatically extinguished unless they are exercised before the end of April.
If farmers or growers want to maintain the option of holding a market at any time in the future, they must act now. All that is required is that they set up a market stall on the relevant market day in their town. It appears from that Act that once the market rights are exercised, they remain in existence for a further 10 years.
Quentin Gargan and Madeline McKeever, were arrested and prosecuted while selling home produce in Skibbereen in August 2003. The District Court dismissed the charges, largely because this clause in the Casual Trading Act effectively confirmed these market rights. Gargan and McKeever are urging farmers and growers to look at the list of market rights in their area, and set up a temporary stall in that town on the relevant day, and maintain the right to hold a market there. Its no big deal - a table with a basket of turnips and carrots will do.
People interested in setting up a market can check the location and day of the week when local market rights exist at www.ardnashee.com/markets .
There is a list of currently operating markets at www.irelandmarkets.com , though this list includes privately operated markets as well as those held under traditional market rights.
ENDS - Sunday, 09 April 2006
For more information, contact Quentin Gargan on 027 52773 or Madeline McKeever on 028 38184
Background
Madeline McKeever and Quentin Gargan were arrested under The 1995 Casual Trading Act in Skibbereen on Wednesday August 27th 2003. McKeever had been selling organic beef from her farm and Gargan had been selling flowers and home-made soap produced by his partner, Clare Watson on their family farm.
They maintained that because of traditional Market Rights granted under a 17th Century charter, they had been wrongfully arrested. Their goods and stalls were seized and they were prevented from trading at the Wednesday market until August 2005 when Judgement was finally given in their favour at Skibbereen District Court.
High Court cases taken by Toby Simmonds, who runs olive / deli stalls and by Quills who ran a market in Skibbereen in the past have also established that these market rights are valid.
However Section 7 (4) of the 1995 Casual Trading Act states that “Where, after the commencement of this section, a market right in respect of a market or fair in the functional area of a local authority remains unexercised for a period of not less than 10 years, then, the market right concerned shall stand extinguished.”. The Act came into force on My 1st 1996, and so this 10 years would expire at the end of April, 2006.
Ardnashee,
Coomanore North,
Bantry,
Co. Cork.
Ph:027-52773
quentingargan@eircom.net
Ireland needs a national strategy to upgrade it’s public markets. This will require political will, good law making and imagination.
For information on this subject please read the following documents that are put together by the Irish Food Market Traders Association.
IFMTA: This Group was founded to represent the concerns and development of Food Market Traders, it has been successful in developing a Guideline for Traders to help them identify problems and how to solve them in relation to audits and demands made by visiting EHOs and other regulatory bodies. Support for food Traders in the implementation of the requirements of the Food Hygiene package that will be with us on January 1st 2006 is part of the focus of the IFMTA – if you are experiencing problems or would like advice please contact:
Caroline Robinson (Chair)
IFMTA,
Parkmore,
Templemartin,
Bandon, Co Cork.
T: 021 7330178
E: carolinerobinson@eircom.net
See Also www.irelandmarkets.com
The judgement in the High Court case between Toby Simmonds and the Irish Organisation of Market and Street Traders Limited against The County Council for the County of Cork, the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana, Ireland and the Attorney General, 22nd February 2002 established that any town that has a Market Right existing can not have it’s ‘market’ regulated under the Casual Trading Act ’95.
This has huge implications for the markets in Ireland:
· Any town that has a Market Right existing can not have it’s ‘market’ regulated by the Casual Trading Act ’95.
· The Market Right can only be regulated using the Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878 if the Market Right is owned by a Local Authority.
· The Supreme Court ruling in the Skibereen UDC vs Quill case stated that where a Market Right existed in numerous and undefinable areas of a town then that Right should be considered to exist for the whole town.
· The only two Market Rights in Co Cork that are owned by the Local Authority are Bantry and Cork City, which is an Act of Parliament Market.
· The only Market Right owned in Kerry by a Local Authority is in Kenmare.
· It is difficult to establish the status of all the 270 Franchise Markets in Ireland but it is most likely that the majority is being incorrectly regulated under the Casual Trading Act ’95.
· Limerick Market is the only market with a Market Right that is being managed correctly using byelaws made under the Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878.
· The ironic anomaly is that markets with Market Rights that are not owned by Local Authorities can not be regulated at all!
· Guidelines for establishing byelaws to regulate markets can be obtained in The Royal Commission ‘Parliamentary Papers 1890 on Market Rights’ and Peas and Chitty ‘Law of Markets and Fairs’.
It is important to separate the Casual Trading Act from Market Rights.
A permit or licence, to trade in a designated place, can issued under the Casual Trading Act ’95.
The Irish Law definition of a market is a time and a place where the public have the right to attend, to buy and to sell commodities.
A Market Right is a constitutional right in the nature of a proprietary right and is there by afforded constitutional protection and a right to be compensated for the loss of that right.
Recommendations;
· A round table of Government and Local Authorities representatives, market traders and legal professionals should be set up to come up with a formula to safeguard, regulate, enhance, promote and create markets.
· There should be an onus put on Local Authorities to establish, maintain and promote markets in their areas.
· Local Authorities should be encouraged to pedestrianise streets for markets. A market stall attracts more business into a town than a parking space.
· Stallage fees, for the use of a space at a market, could be charged daily and collected by a Market Controller on the morning of the market.
· Lower fees could be charged for home producers. Insurance could be incorporated into the daily fee.
· Litter wardens can prevent litter being left behind after the market. Customs and Exise and Environmental Health Officers can monitor the quality of produce being sold at the market.
· It is best to put all the food traders together in one area of the market.
Above all, Ireland needs a national strategy to upgrade it’s public markets. This will require political will, good law making and imagination.
Identify the risks on your stall and be sure of how you are going to control them!
Work to a system! E.g. keep cooked and raw foods separate.
Know the products you are selling and how they should be kept safely.
You are responsible for the quality and safety of the foods you sell.
The Guidance Note 16 'Food Stalls' is now available on the FSAI website at the following link: www.fsai.ie/publications/guidance_notes/gn16.pdf. This Guidance Note is available in electronic format only, not hardcopy.
Specific guidance on training for food handlers is available from the FSAI series ‘Guide to Food Safety Training’ which can be downloaded from their website www.fsai.ie
An E-Learning course on ‘Essential Food Safety Skills’ can be done online for only 30 euro. Go to the Training section on www.bordfailte.ie
It is essential that all products displayed and sold at the market, are produced to the highest standard of hygiene and are of a consistent high quality. Only sell food that is fresh and throw out the stale stuff! Label packaged foods. Don’t call any food ‘organic’ unless it is officially certified as Organic with a recognised Symbol.
It is recommended that all stallholders producing food in their own kitchens (excluding meat and dairy products) comply with the regulations in I.S. 344.2002 produced by the NSAI and available from ILI, Northumberland House, 42/44 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4. Tel 01-8576730, info@standards.ie The regulations are also written in a separate book available from any Country Market.
Transport and display of the food must be done in such a way to prevent any contamination of the food and to maintain the necessary temperatures to prevent the growth of microorganisms and maintain the integrity of the food.
Any food requiring refrigeration (meats, soft cheese, etc) must be kept at a temperature at or below 5 C during transport and whilst displayed on the stall. Therefore the fridge must be set at a lower temperature to achieve this.
Care must be taken not to let any foods freeze and unfreeze as this can lead to contamination by dangerous pathogens.
Stallholders selling high-risk foods should buy a digital probe thermometer and be aware of the temperatures of their foods. Thermometers are available from Nisbets, Acme Business Park, Old Mallow Rd, Cork.
Tel: 021-4946777. Fax 021-4946789. Email sales@nisbets.ie Price 15.68 euro.
It should be possible to keep high-risk foods cold by using ice or ice-blocks and insulated containers. Try stacking two stainless steel gastronorm pans with ice in between for displaying foods or use a slab of marble stone with ice underneath.
If using a refrigerated van please remember that it is only designed to hold goods that are already cold. It is not efficient at chilling foods. The foods should therefore be taken out of the van after each market and refrigerated. Best to buy a van with a roof mounted airflow system so that the engine can be run whilst stationary to keep down the temperature.
Small refrigerated deli display units may be purchased from Robin @ Dublin Display Centre (01- 4015050) where a 1 Metre Fan assisted chilled server will cost around 1,500 euro. Attach castor wheels underneath for wheeling in and out of the van.
A cheap way of producing electricity to run an ordinary fridge, without resorting to purchasing a generator, is to use a 24volt forklift battery with an inverter.
Refrigerated trailers can be obtained from Ed Hick at edhick@eircom.net Look up www.banchimercato.it or type Euromag Fiche Produits into Google. Try applying for Leader funding to help with the expense.
Hand-washing is vital and should be done frequently, particularly after setting up the stall and before handling food. Hot water and soap should be used. For a small operation a flask full of hot water will be adequate. Otherwise fill a large coffee dispenser. Nisbets stock a range of unbreakable "airpots" up to 5 litre for around 50 euro. Please note that alcohol hand disinfecting wipes are only effective on clean hands. They are inactivated by contact with organic matter.
Utensils should be washed in a separate bowl. Otherwise, use one utensil for each product.
Bigger operations may need to purchase units that heat the water off the vehicle battery whilst the engine is running. They are available from www.tealwash.com and www.vangadgets.com with costs starting at £220. They can also be obtained from Bott Ltd, Unit 11, Carrigaline Industrial Park, Carrigaline, Co. Cork. Tel: 021-4376966. Fax: 021-4376646. Email john@bott.ie Prices start at 300 euro.
Other recommended outlets for equipment are;
· Probe Thermometers, Cool Boxes
Eurolec Instrumentation,
Technology House,
Cluan Enda,
Dundalk,
Co. Louth. email: eurolec@esatclear.ie Tel: 042-9333423
Gloves
PEI,
Ballymount Road Upper,
Ballymount,
Dublin 12. Tel: 01-4196900 email: info@pei.ie
· Coats
· M.A. Healy & Sons Ltd.,
Strand Street,
Passage West,
Cork. Tel: 021-4841370
A to Z industrial supplies – 40A Green St. Cork – v good prices for hats, coats, gloves, etc...
Tel: 021 405088
* ATP Instrumentation - Thermometers, pH metres, scales and all the mechanics of small food preparations.
UK based but telesales and v. efficient and keen prices.
ATP Instrumentations Ltd.,
Tel: 0044 1530 56680
email: sales@atp-instruments.co.uk
www.atp-instrumentation.co.uk
Some guidelines to follow when an Environmental Health Officer visits your stall or premises;
· Be courteous and friendly! Try to have a witness present.
· Most EHO's carry a business card. Ask for it and keep it. If you intend trading for any amount of time at all, these people will be back to visit again and again! Be positive towards them.
· Pick up a pen and paper and take notes all through the visit.
· I'd suggest that all members be as up to speed as possible with the regulations, and when you are, then ask the EHO about them. They are often very happy to know that you are familiar with the regulations, in a nice way of course!
· It will certainly do members no harm to know the law as it applies to them. Be aware that an EHO can’t visit your home without your permission.
· Don't commit to anything outrageous i.e. hot & cold running water, costly structural changes, etc.
· You might need to ask whether some of the EHO’s demands are recommendations or regulations? – recommendations can be one way to comply with the law but you may want to suggest a more practical solution. It is the regulations that will be enforced. Ask to have this confirmed in writing.
· If you need to keep records of temperatures, etc, you can do this at your level. Fob off a few demands by being a half step ahead. If you can anticipate what they want and provide half of it and have it in place before they ask.... then when they do look for hourly temperature readings you can say " Well, I've got several readings for every day that I've been trading, and they are available for inspection etc….. so why do I need to do this hourly?"
· The need for records, etc must be in accordance with the risk! As we know from our meeting with the FSAI the new regulations will be risk based. Be sure that you know what the risks on your stall are and the steps you’re taking to control them. Explain these to the EHO.
· Finally, ask them to send on their requirements and recommendations in writing.
Write a letter to your EHO if you need to question anything he or she has asked of you.
If you feel that your EHO has treated you unfairly you should write a letter to his or her boss outlining your grievances.
Quentin and Madeline have won the Market Rights court case in
Skibbereen
Ardnashee, Coomanore North, Bantry, Co. Cork.
PRESS RELEASE - 25th July 2005
Trading is legal on Main St. Skibbereen
· Farmers selling meat and flowers wrongfully arrested
· Judgement supports market rights in over 200 towns in Ireland
In Skibbereen District Court on Monday 25th July Judge Terence Finn ruled
in favour of market traders Quentin Gargan and Madeline McKeever. Gargan had been selling flowers and home-made soap produced by his partner, Clare
Watson on their family farm and Madeline McKeever had been selling organic
beef from her farm when both were arrested under the 1995 Casual Trading Act
in Skibbereen on Wednesday August 27th. They have always maintained that
because of traditional Market Rights granted under a charter from King
Charles II in 1688, they had been wrongfully arrested. Their goods and
stalls were seized and they have been prevented from trading in the meantime
as a result.
"'For almost two years, traders have been prevented from selling on the
streets of Skibbereen" said McKeever.
"I am a small farmer desperately trying to stay in business. Direct sales
are the only way I can do it. Local organic beef is not available in
Skibbereen anywhere other than at the farmers market"
In the U.S.A. where farmers have been facing similar difficulties for many
years, there are now over 3,000 Farmer's Markets, and the number is growing
by 40% per annum as consumers crave fresh naturally-produced and locally
grown food. In Ireland, Farmers Markets have recently become established in
numerous towns.
Under the 1995 Casual Trading Act, these traditional market rights may
expire later this year unless they are used in the meantime. McKeever and
Gargan hope that farmers markets can now become established in many of these towns before the deadline expires.
McKeever and Gargan had traded every Wednesday for three weeks and on each occasion had been questioned by Gardaí. During the court case, it emergedn that local retailers had complained to Skibbereen Town Council who in turn called the Gardai. McKeever and Gargan were arrested, driven to Clonakilty and locked in separate cells for the remainder of the day. "It seems
remarkable that on foot of a few complaints from retailers Gardai would go
to all that trouble when it was not at all clear that what we were doing was
illlegal" said Gargan. "There was an obligation on the Council to regulate
market rights rather than waste Garda resources in the hope of eliminating
the problem" he added.
In his Judgement, Judge Finn said that the Local Authority should act in the
interest of all concerned by dealing with the issue of Casual Trading. He
criticised the Council for not enacting Bye-laws under the 1995 Casual
Trading Act during the 10 years since the legislation was introduced.
For further information, please contact;
Quentin Gargan - 027 52773 or 086 869 3140
or
Madeline McKeever - 028 38184
This little shot shows Fingal Ferguson and Gwen Laserre (both Licensed
Market traders) from the West Cork Convivia dynamically supporting Market
Rights by establishing Trading Rights in Ballydehob - the following Sunday
Ballydehob held it's first Market again for over 30 years!
Traditional Market Rights to be Extinguished
“Use it or Lose it” clause in Casual Trading Act comes into force at the end of April.
At present, there are market rights in thousands of towns and villages throughout Ireland, and a number of court cases taken against market traders have confirmed that these rights are valid (see background below)
However, under the 1995 Casual Trading Act, these market rights will be automatically extinguished unless they are exercised before the end of April.
If farmers or growers want to maintain the option of holding a market at any time in the future, they must act now. All that is required is that they set up a market stall on the relevant market day in their town. It appears from that Act that once the market rights are exercised, they remain in existence for a further 10 years.
Quentin Gargan and Madeline McKeever, were arrested and prosecuted while selling home produce in Skibbereen in August 2003. The District Court dismissed the charges, largely because this clause in the Casual Trading Act effectively confirmed these market rights. Gargan and McKeever are urging farmers and growers to look at the list of market rights in their area, and set up a temporary stall in that town on the relevant day, and maintain the right to hold a market there. Its no big deal - a table with a basket of turnips and carrots will do.
People interested in setting up a market can check the location and day of the week when local market rights exist at www.ardnashee.com/markets .
There is a list of currently operating markets at www.irelandmarkets.com , though this list includes privately operated markets as well as those held under traditional market rights.
ENDS - Sunday, 09 April 2006
For more information, contact Quentin Gargan on 027 52773 or Madeline McKeever on 028 38184
Background
Madeline McKeever and Quentin Gargan were arrested under The 1995 Casual Trading Act in Skibbereen on Wednesday August 27th 2003. McKeever had been selling organic beef from her farm and Gargan had been selling flowers and home-made soap produced by his partner, Clare Watson on their family farm.
They maintained that because of traditional Market Rights granted under a 17th Century charter, they had been wrongfully arrested. Their goods and stalls were seized and they were prevented from trading at the Wednesday market until August 2005 when Judgement was finally given in their favour at Skibbereen District Court.
High Court cases taken by Toby Simmonds, who runs olive / deli stalls and by Quills who ran a market in Skibbereen in the past have also established that these market rights are valid.
However Section 7 (4) of the 1995 Casual Trading Act states that “Where, after the commencement of this section, a market right in respect of a market or fair in the functional area of a local authority remains unexercised for a period of not less than 10 years, then, the market right concerned shall stand extinguished.”. The Act came into force on My 1st 1996, and so this 10 years would expire at the end of April, 2006.
Ardnashee,
Coomanore North,
Bantry,
Co. Cork.
Ph:027-52773
quentingargan@eircom.net
THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC MARKETS THROUGHOUT IRELAND
Ireland needs a national strategy to upgrade it’s public markets. This will require political will, good law making and imagination.
For information on this subject please read the following documents that are put together by the Irish Food Market Traders Association.
IFMTA: This Group was founded to represent the concerns and development of Food Market Traders, it has been successful in developing a Guideline for Traders to help them identify problems and how to solve them in relation to audits and demands made by visiting EHOs and other regulatory bodies. Support for food Traders in the implementation of the requirements of the Food Hygiene package that will be with us on January 1st 2006 is part of the focus of the IFMTA – if you are experiencing problems or would like advice please contact:
Caroline Robinson (Chair)
IFMTA,
Parkmore,
Templemartin,
Bandon, Co Cork.
T: 021 7330178
E: carolinerobinson@eircom.net
See Also www.irelandmarkets.com
Market Rights
The judgement in the High Court case between Toby Simmonds and the Irish Organisation of Market and Street Traders Limited against The County Council for the County of Cork, the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana, Ireland and the Attorney General, 22nd February 2002 established that any town that has a Market Right existing can not have it’s ‘market’ regulated under the Casual Trading Act ’95.
This has huge implications for the markets in Ireland:
· Any town that has a Market Right existing can not have it’s ‘market’ regulated by the Casual Trading Act ’95.
· The Market Right can only be regulated using the Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878 if the Market Right is owned by a Local Authority.
· The Supreme Court ruling in the Skibereen UDC vs Quill case stated that where a Market Right existed in numerous and undefinable areas of a town then that Right should be considered to exist for the whole town.
· The only two Market Rights in Co Cork that are owned by the Local Authority are Bantry and Cork City, which is an Act of Parliament Market.
· The only Market Right owned in Kerry by a Local Authority is in Kenmare.
· It is difficult to establish the status of all the 270 Franchise Markets in Ireland but it is most likely that the majority is being incorrectly regulated under the Casual Trading Act ’95.
· Limerick Market is the only market with a Market Right that is being managed correctly using byelaws made under the Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878.
· The ironic anomaly is that markets with Market Rights that are not owned by Local Authorities can not be regulated at all!
· Guidelines for establishing byelaws to regulate markets can be obtained in The Royal Commission ‘Parliamentary Papers 1890 on Market Rights’ and Peas and Chitty ‘Law of Markets and Fairs’.
It is important to separate the Casual Trading Act from Market Rights.
A permit or licence, to trade in a designated place, can issued under the Casual Trading Act ’95.
The Irish Law definition of a market is a time and a place where the public have the right to attend, to buy and to sell commodities.
A Market Right is a constitutional right in the nature of a proprietary right and is there by afforded constitutional protection and a right to be compensated for the loss of that right.
Recommendations;
· A round table of Government and Local Authorities representatives, market traders and legal professionals should be set up to come up with a formula to safeguard, regulate, enhance, promote and create markets.
· There should be an onus put on Local Authorities to establish, maintain and promote markets in their areas.
· Local Authorities should be encouraged to pedestrianise streets for markets. A market stall attracts more business into a town than a parking space.
· Stallage fees, for the use of a space at a market, could be charged daily and collected by a Market Controller on the morning of the market.
· Lower fees could be charged for home producers. Insurance could be incorporated into the daily fee.
· Litter wardens can prevent litter being left behind after the market. Customs and Exise and Environmental Health Officers can monitor the quality of produce being sold at the market.
· It is best to put all the food traders together in one area of the market.
Above all, Ireland needs a national strategy to upgrade it’s public markets. This will require political will, good law making and imagination.
Notes on complying with HYGIENE REGULATIONS for Food Stalls
Identify the risks on your stall and be sure of how you are going to control them!
Work to a system! E.g. keep cooked and raw foods separate.
Know the products you are selling and how they should be kept safely.
You are responsible for the quality and safety of the foods you sell.
The Guidance Note 16 'Food Stalls' is now available on the FSAI website at the following link: www.fsai.ie/publications/guidance_notes/gn16.pdf. This Guidance Note is available in electronic format only, not hardcopy.
Specific guidance on training for food handlers is available from the FSAI series ‘Guide to Food Safety Training’ which can be downloaded from their website www.fsai.ie
An E-Learning course on ‘Essential Food Safety Skills’ can be done online for only 30 euro. Go to the Training section on www.bordfailte.ie
It is essential that all products displayed and sold at the market, are produced to the highest standard of hygiene and are of a consistent high quality. Only sell food that is fresh and throw out the stale stuff! Label packaged foods. Don’t call any food ‘organic’ unless it is officially certified as Organic with a recognised Symbol.
It is recommended that all stallholders producing food in their own kitchens (excluding meat and dairy products) comply with the regulations in I.S. 344.2002 produced by the NSAI and available from ILI, Northumberland House, 42/44 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4. Tel 01-8576730, info@standards.ie The regulations are also written in a separate book available from any Country Market.
Transport and display of the food must be done in such a way to prevent any contamination of the food and to maintain the necessary temperatures to prevent the growth of microorganisms and maintain the integrity of the food.
Any food requiring refrigeration (meats, soft cheese, etc) must be kept at a temperature at or below 5 C during transport and whilst displayed on the stall. Therefore the fridge must be set at a lower temperature to achieve this.
Care must be taken not to let any foods freeze and unfreeze as this can lead to contamination by dangerous pathogens.
Stallholders selling high-risk foods should buy a digital probe thermometer and be aware of the temperatures of their foods. Thermometers are available from Nisbets, Acme Business Park, Old Mallow Rd, Cork.
Tel: 021-4946777. Fax 021-4946789. Email sales@nisbets.ie Price 15.68 euro.
It should be possible to keep high-risk foods cold by using ice or ice-blocks and insulated containers. Try stacking two stainless steel gastronorm pans with ice in between for displaying foods or use a slab of marble stone with ice underneath.
If using a refrigerated van please remember that it is only designed to hold goods that are already cold. It is not efficient at chilling foods. The foods should therefore be taken out of the van after each market and refrigerated. Best to buy a van with a roof mounted airflow system so that the engine can be run whilst stationary to keep down the temperature.
Small refrigerated deli display units may be purchased from Robin @ Dublin Display Centre (01- 4015050) where a 1 Metre Fan assisted chilled server will cost around 1,500 euro. Attach castor wheels underneath for wheeling in and out of the van.
A cheap way of producing electricity to run an ordinary fridge, without resorting to purchasing a generator, is to use a 24volt forklift battery with an inverter.
Refrigerated trailers can be obtained from Ed Hick at edhick@eircom.net Look up www.banchimercato.it or type Euromag Fiche Produits into Google. Try applying for Leader funding to help with the expense.
Hand-washing is vital and should be done frequently, particularly after setting up the stall and before handling food. Hot water and soap should be used. For a small operation a flask full of hot water will be adequate. Otherwise fill a large coffee dispenser. Nisbets stock a range of unbreakable "airpots" up to 5 litre for around 50 euro. Please note that alcohol hand disinfecting wipes are only effective on clean hands. They are inactivated by contact with organic matter.
Utensils should be washed in a separate bowl. Otherwise, use one utensil for each product.
Bigger operations may need to purchase units that heat the water off the vehicle battery whilst the engine is running. They are available from www.tealwash.com and www.vangadgets.com with costs starting at £220. They can also be obtained from Bott Ltd, Unit 11, Carrigaline Industrial Park, Carrigaline, Co. Cork. Tel: 021-4376966. Fax: 021-4376646. Email john@bott.ie Prices start at 300 euro.
Other recommended outlets for equipment are;
· Probe Thermometers, Cool Boxes
Eurolec Instrumentation,
Technology House,
Cluan Enda,
Dundalk,
Co. Louth. email: eurolec@esatclear.ie Tel: 042-9333423
Gloves
PEI,
Ballymount Road Upper,
Ballymount,
Dublin 12. Tel: 01-4196900 email: info@pei.ie
· Coats
· M.A. Healy & Sons Ltd.,
Strand Street,
Passage West,
Cork. Tel: 021-4841370
A to Z industrial supplies – 40A Green St. Cork – v good prices for hats, coats, gloves, etc...
Tel: 021 405088
* ATP Instrumentation - Thermometers, pH metres, scales and all the mechanics of small food preparations.
UK based but telesales and v. efficient and keen prices.
ATP Instrumentations Ltd.,
Tel: 0044 1530 56680
email: sales@atp-instruments.co.uk
www.atp-instrumentation.co.uk
Some guidelines to follow when an Environmental Health Officer visits your stall or premises;
· Be courteous and friendly! Try to have a witness present.
· Most EHO's carry a business card. Ask for it and keep it. If you intend trading for any amount of time at all, these people will be back to visit again and again! Be positive towards them.
· Pick up a pen and paper and take notes all through the visit.
· I'd suggest that all members be as up to speed as possible with the regulations, and when you are, then ask the EHO about them. They are often very happy to know that you are familiar with the regulations, in a nice way of course!
· It will certainly do members no harm to know the law as it applies to them. Be aware that an EHO can’t visit your home without your permission.
· Don't commit to anything outrageous i.e. hot & cold running water, costly structural changes, etc.
· You might need to ask whether some of the EHO’s demands are recommendations or regulations? – recommendations can be one way to comply with the law but you may want to suggest a more practical solution. It is the regulations that will be enforced. Ask to have this confirmed in writing.
· If you need to keep records of temperatures, etc, you can do this at your level. Fob off a few demands by being a half step ahead. If you can anticipate what they want and provide half of it and have it in place before they ask.... then when they do look for hourly temperature readings you can say " Well, I've got several readings for every day that I've been trading, and they are available for inspection etc….. so why do I need to do this hourly?"
· The need for records, etc must be in accordance with the risk! As we know from our meeting with the FSAI the new regulations will be risk based. Be sure that you know what the risks on your stall are and the steps you’re taking to control them. Explain these to the EHO.
· Finally, ask them to send on their requirements and recommendations in writing.
Write a letter to your EHO if you need to question anything he or she has asked of you.
If you feel that your EHO has treated you unfairly you should write a letter to his or her boss outlining your grievances.
Quentin and Madeline have won the Market Rights court case in
Skibbereen
Ardnashee, Coomanore North, Bantry, Co. Cork.
PRESS RELEASE - 25th July 2005
Trading is legal on Main St. Skibbereen
· Farmers selling meat and flowers wrongfully arrested
· Judgement supports market rights in over 200 towns in Ireland
In Skibbereen District Court on Monday 25th July Judge Terence Finn ruled
in favour of market traders Quentin Gargan and Madeline McKeever. Gargan had been selling flowers and home-made soap produced by his partner, Clare
Watson on their family farm and Madeline McKeever had been selling organic
beef from her farm when both were arrested under the 1995 Casual Trading Act
in Skibbereen on Wednesday August 27th. They have always maintained that
because of traditional Market Rights granted under a charter from King
Charles II in 1688, they had been wrongfully arrested. Their goods and
stalls were seized and they have been prevented from trading in the meantime
as a result.
"'For almost two years, traders have been prevented from selling on the
streets of Skibbereen" said McKeever.
"I am a small farmer desperately trying to stay in business. Direct sales
are the only way I can do it. Local organic beef is not available in
Skibbereen anywhere other than at the farmers market"
In the U.S.A. where farmers have been facing similar difficulties for many
years, there are now over 3,000 Farmer's Markets, and the number is growing
by 40% per annum as consumers crave fresh naturally-produced and locally
grown food. In Ireland, Farmers Markets have recently become established in
numerous towns.
Under the 1995 Casual Trading Act, these traditional market rights may
expire later this year unless they are used in the meantime. McKeever and
Gargan hope that farmers markets can now become established in many of these towns before the deadline expires.
McKeever and Gargan had traded every Wednesday for three weeks and on each occasion had been questioned by Gardaí. During the court case, it emergedn that local retailers had complained to Skibbereen Town Council who in turn called the Gardai. McKeever and Gargan were arrested, driven to Clonakilty and locked in separate cells for the remainder of the day. "It seems
remarkable that on foot of a few complaints from retailers Gardai would go
to all that trouble when it was not at all clear that what we were doing was
illlegal" said Gargan. "There was an obligation on the Council to regulate
market rights rather than waste Garda resources in the hope of eliminating
the problem" he added.
In his Judgement, Judge Finn said that the Local Authority should act in the
interest of all concerned by dealing with the issue of Casual Trading. He
criticised the Council for not enacting Bye-laws under the 1995 Casual
Trading Act during the 10 years since the legislation was introduced.
For further information, please contact;
Quentin Gargan - 027 52773 or 086 869 3140
or
Madeline McKeever - 028 38184
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