Fortnight For Meat Works Changes

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32222, 14 February 1970, Page 1

Fortnight For Meat Works Changes

(From Our Own Reporter; WELLINGTON. February 13. Only a fortnight remains for New Zealand freezing works to adopt new procedures on lamb and mutton chains which will permit the continued export of meat to the United States.

The director of the meat division of the Department of; Agriculture (Mr I. G. Watt) said today that some of the; works at present used procedures which complied with standards laid down by thej United States Department of! Agriculture, but many, in-1 eluding the 16 mentioned in! a report by United States; veterinary authorities, did not. The chain dressing proced * ures (which are aimed at ensuring that no excrement or dirt gets on the carcases); were identical with those ap-* plying to meat packing plants in the United States, and to I all foreign countries export-

mg meat to the United States. [ “This is a question on which we have no choice." Mr Watt said. “The buyer (sets the standards and we have to abide by them if wei want to sell our products.! There is nothing discriminatory about these conditions. They apply to everyone." He said that there was nothing expensive about the required procedures. They required no new plants—only a reallocation and reposition-' ing of the various jobs on the * killing chains. In fact they* !should lead to a reduction in! ;i costs, because some of the > I washing procedures would be! eliminated.