E.E.C. team to inspect N.Z. meat plants

Press, 27 February 1981, Page 2

E.E.C. team to inspect N.Z. meat plants

A group of men whose decisions , could profoundly affect New Zealand’s prosperity arrived in . Christchurch yesterday morning. The group included 10 veterinarians, members of a; European’ Economic Community mission, which will. examine New Zealand’s meat export works to see how; they meet the community’s, third country veterinary! directive. This lays down re-: quirements for countries: that wish to export to the Community. i Their spokesman, Dr 1.

,Gaede, of Denmark, who works for the E.E.C. Com1 mission in Brussels, said that the mission constituted the initial investigation that would enable the Community to prepare a common list of establishments which ;wuld be able to export fresh meat that would be able to ■circulate in the Community. , ; While no such list existed,] [he said that there was no ■question of plants being! “deregistered” for exporting! to the Community. Some : plants, of course, already, exported to some member; countries.

The mission consisted of [four experts from member (States ,of the Communitv [and six experts from the [Commission in Brussels, Dr [Gaede said. The mission would be di- ■ vided into five teams, each iof two persons. Each would i be guided by a New Zealand veterinary officer on visits to works. The teams would have to examine carefully all the plants and compare them with the requirements of the third country directive. When told that some $3OO million to $4OO million had been spent on improving New Zealand works in the last 10 years to try to meet the requirements of overseas customers. Dr Gaede said that this sounded good. The team will spend between 15 and 18 days in New Zealand.