U.S. asks for new meat test checks

Press, 26 November 1981, Page 6

U.S. asks for new meat test checks

PA Wellington The i United States has asked New Zealand to introduce new meat inspection procedures after the Australian kangaroo meat scandal. The director of the Ministry of Agriculture Meat Division (Mr. John McNab) said the United States had asked for meat-labelling assurance tests and controls, over movement . of meat from freezing works to packing houses and from cold stores to shipside to prevent the possible substitution of meat, as happened in Australia. Mr McNab said he doubted whether : the • procedures would be . ready in tithe to meet the-February 2 dead-

line, laid down by the United States Department of Agriculture? “If it does not work it may impede the flow of meat, which will add to costs,” he said. More staff would probably be needed to handle the work, but he did not know how many nor how much it would cost. The United States wanted assurances that “what was labelled as beef is actually beef,” he said. Small representative samples of export meat would be sent to the Ministry of Agriculture laboratory at Wallaceville for tests. Controls would also be put on

the movement of meat, but the details were still being worked out. The requirements were not a surprise. In August, after the discovery of kangaroo and horsemeat in beef cartons destined for the United States, the American Secretary of Agriculture (Mr John Block) warned that “tough” new inspection measures would be brought in. Last week the United States Agriculture Department passed- a message about the new requirements to the New Zealand Ministry of i Agriculture via the American embassy in Wellington.