Meat hygiene costs denied

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34126, 12 April 1976, Page 7

Meat hygiene costs denied

American response-, i bility for New Zealand’s; continuing bill to meet ' hygiene standards in the country’s freezing works was largely de- ; nied by the agricultural' attache at the American Embassy in Wellington. Mr H. T. Sanden, in Christchurch. - Speaking at a function held as part of the American bi- ■ | centennial programme, he' i said that every week the press reported that new hygiene standards were going to cost the New Zealand in-i jdustry S2oom. implying that) •these were American stand-' ards. “What for, may I ask? Is it, | for removing all wood from) [freezer stores? That is al European Economic Com-' ■munity requirement. It is not one of the United States’s re-, i quirements,” he said.

i “Likewise, the United i States does not require sepI arate slaughter facilities for suspect stock—this is an E.E.C. requirement. Thei I same goes for covered yards. | i Nor do we require a physical [ I examination of all workers.“As a matter of fact, the) , United States has had only) I minor changes in its specifi-l cations since 1968. Any ‘new’ i changes are only part of the! old regulations which the ‘ New Zealand meat inspection, ■j service has gradually insti-i \mted since that time. ! “I can give you the assur-i ) ance that the United States : Department of Agriculture j jis quite well satisfied with) I the standard of inspection in ■ New Zealand, as witnessed by the steady improvement •jin the rate of rejections at ' ports of entry during recent, '[years. Last year, your per- . centage of rejections was under one half of one per i cent —that speaks for itself.**'