N.Z. leads world in meat hygiene’

Press, 26 June 1978, Page 2

N.Z. leads world in meat hygiene’

Apart from the fact that some of the buildings at meat works in New Zealand were old, and some catching up still had to be done in this area, a New Zealand farming leader who has recently seen many slaugh-ter-houses in overseas countries has returned with the strong belief that New Zealand leads the world in m e a t-processing hygiene standards. He is Mr M. R. Barnett, of Dunsandel, deputy chairman of the elctoral committee of the Meat and Wool Boards and senior vice-chairman of the Dominion Meat and wool section of Federated Farmers. Mr Barnett has recently been overseas under the auspices of the Meat Board. Mr Barnett was full of praise for the hygiene standards attained in New Zealand works. “New Zealand can really hold its head high" he said. “I was proud of the standards attained in New Zealand compared with other countries.” A member of the newly established National Hygiene Adivsory Committee, Mr Barnett said he did not make his comments lightly. Whik he would not comment on whether standards reached in New Zealand were excessively high, he said there were some things that he would wish to discuss with the director of the Meat Division of the Minis-

tltry of Agriculture (Mr J. D. tj McNab) and with the Nati'ional Hygiene Advisory ’Committee. i ’ But he said that he was i; concerned about the way s that New Zealand meat was - [handled in some areas over--jseas before it reached the •(retail market. - • Mr Barnett was also unit pressed with the potential /for New Zealand meat in the markets of the world, and tithe high regard in which it Twas held. f. In Britain, he said. New s (Zealand lamb was held in f ;the highest regard and there I! was no question about its - [quality. ! But for all the bright .'prospects there were for -[New Zealand meat, Mr Barnett sounded a note of warnf ing. -: New Zealand could pro- • duce the animals and proi cess them to high standards, 1 but unless there was continiiuity of supply and the p rodducts arrived in overseas i j markets at the time required. New Zealand would ybe in serious trouble. Marekets lost were hard to rerigain. t; This was something that [required the co-operation of -■the whole country 7 , said Mr s Barnett. There was no place d for looking at things on a e I sectional basis, he said. s i New Zealand was so -: dependent on agricultural e products that it could not ■ afford to put anything in the

>. [way of their marketing. -! People overseas were not y'concerned whether delays in delivery were a result of s.load-out bans or strikes. y : The point had been made s'in some European markets -(where products were, for inei stance, wanted before Easter (that although they had been -; ordered they had not ar--1 ■ rived. Mr Barnett was impressed “(with the efficiency of handling through container ports, which in some cases were v working 24 hours a day exn cept for only one day a | year. One of the main purposes lt of his trip was to see a trial r of the marketing of so-called Omega lambs, with “leggy” type carcases, in the United Kingdom. i- At present the farmer in i-1 New Zealand receives a ;, [lower price for these lambs. [ '■ Mr ’’arnett is chairman of '■ a committee of Federated s Farmers members which has ■7 been collaborating with the d b-ard in the trial. He said that he would discuss all aspects of the trial t and the future of this type of lamb with the Meat r Board and the committee, e In the course of his trip, aI Mi Barnett visited the United States, Canada, Italy, o France, Belgium, the United il Kingdom, Germany, Switzerit land, Greece, Iran, Singe apore, and Australia.