Govt. Puts Ban On Pig-Meat Exports

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30738, 30 April 1965, Page 1

Govt. Puts Ban On Pig-Meat Exports

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, April 29. The Department of Agriculture is making urgent inquiries overseas to find out whether importers of New Zealand pig meats are prepared to accept them, in spite of the fact that they could be infected with trichinosis. Until replies are received the department will not issue certificates, without which New Zealand exporters cannot send their products overseas.

After a two-hour meeting with the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Taiboys) this afternoon, departmental officials said everything possible would be done to ascertain the prevalence of the disease and to ensure any infected pigs are not sold for human consumption.

They said likely infected portions of all chopper pigs killed in all North Island freezing works and abattoirs would be visually examined and laboratory tested. The tests would have to show no signs of the disease before

the carcase could be cleared for sale. Testing would be continued for the next four months and at the end of this period “we will be in a position to say the extent of the disease.” They said the testing would also take in wild-pig carcases being treated in gamepacking houses for export. A total of 18 farms were now under quarantine, but the officials declined to say where the farms were except that they were scattered about the Auckland province in places as far apart as Wellsford, Hamilton and Tokoroa. Pigs on each of the quarantined farms would be systematically killed until the disease-carrier is located. Test Only Way There was no sure method of locating the disease in live pigs and the officials said the only satisfactory way of locating it was to kill the animals and laboratory-test muscle from it. Officials who met Mr Talboys included the administrative officer of the department (Mr G. J, Anderson), the director of the Animal Health Division (Dr. S. Jamieson), and the director of the Meat Division (Mr I. G. Watt). At the beginning of their meeting with the Minister they were accompanied by representatives of the Pig Producers' Council, the Freezing Companies Association, the Bacon Curers’ Association and the Meat Retailers’ Federation. Mr Taiboys said later that it was quite incorrect to say the Government had or will impose a ban on the export of pig meats. “The position is that overseas purchasers require Government certification that certain diseases, including trichinosis, do not exist in New Zealand. “The present circumstances make it impossible for the Department of Agriculture tb issue such a certificate. “In the case of countries willing to accept a modified

certificate, however, this will be issued and inquiries are being made of overseas countries.”

Mr Taiboys said measures to assist pig producers who might be financially affected as a result of present circumstances were discussed. “I have undertaken to inquire into what action the Government might be prepared to take in this direction and a committee of the producers, trade and departmental representatives is to meet to formulate proposals," he said. 11l Since June Detailing the history of the present discovery, Dr. Jamieson said it had been found the man who contracted the disease had actually been infected in June last year. But it was not until a muscle test was done in October that it was found the complaint from which he was suffering was trichinosis. There was no indication at that stage that the man had contracted the disease from the consumption of New Zealand pig meat and studies were started to see if he had received it from overseas. These studies brought no results and it was not until an infected chopper pig was found at an Auckland freezing works last Friday that the implications of the man’s infection were fully known.

Watch At Works

Dr. Jamieson said that since last October, when the man was found to have the disease, a close watch for it had been continued at three Auckland freezing works and the local abattoir.

He said that even if at the conclusion of the four months’ testing no other traces of the disease were found, the close surveillance of choppers would continue. “Having found a case once, we will have to keep our watch going. The urgency in the matter is to prove to both consumers here and overseas that the country is free of the disease.”