The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food will discuss the issue of labelling of imported organic food when its meets this week.

The meeting will focus on the labelling of organic food produced outside the EU.

The committee will meet in two sessions tomorrow (Wednesday, February 18) with the food labelling issues taking up the first session, and the second session devoted to biosecurity of the native bee population.

The first session is set to begin at 3:30p.m and will run until 4:45p.m, with the second session to run until 6:00p.m.

The meeting will take place at Committee Room 4 at Leinster House.

The session on food labelling will zone in on a proposed EU regulation to amend an earlier regulation on production, labelling and certification rules, and certain rules on trade with third countries.

Speaking ahead of the committee, its chairperson Deputy Aindrias Moynihan said: "These action aims to ensure that consumers are able to make informed choices when purchasing products from third countries whose organic production and control systems have been recognised as equivalent to those of [EU] member states, as well as to ensure consumer confidence in those products and in the organic production logo of the European Union."

The committee will hear from officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the issue.

On the issue of biosecurity for the native bee population, the committee will hear from the Native Irish Honeybee Society.

Moynihan said: "Biosecurity refers to the prevention, mitigation of the spreading of disease into the agriculture sector, and the actions arising when such an outbreak occurs."

The Fianna Fáil Cork North-West TD added: "The committee will hear from the Native Irish Honeybee Society on the biosecurity threat to our native bees and ascertaining their role in the maintenance of biosecurity.

"We will also look at how effectively the current regulations and enforcement measures in place are operating in maintaining Ireland’s animal health status and the protection of this sector of the agricultural industry," he said.

The meeting in Committee Room 4 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food has 14 members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.