$400M hygiene improvement costs ‘justified’

Press, 12 April 1984, Page 3

$400M hygiene improvement costs ‘justified’

Parliamentary reporter

Freezing companies believe the $4OO million spent on improving hygiene standards in freezing works has been justified. All plants wishing to be licensed for the European Community are now expected to be approved, according to the latest newsletter of the Freezing Companies’ Association. While this did not mean the “end of the road” for New Zealand, as far as compliance with the European hygiene standards was concerned, it did mean that the policy adopted in the 1970 s was correct, the association said.

“The policy was that continued access to the E.E.C. was essential and to ensure that we had that, our export

processing plants had to comply.” The association said that over the last decade a total of almost $1 billion had been invested in the industry. Of the Government’s “think big” projects, only the Marsden Point oil refinery expansions came close to this figure.

Between 1971 and 1983, the meat export processing industry spent $4OO million on hygiene, and the balance was spent on new coolstores, equipment, and plant. At least five new plants had been built in that period. The association said the European market, worth $362.5 million in the year to December 31, 1983, was an essential market for New Zealand.