Latest news with #AsureQuality
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Union warns against meat self-inspection plans
Photo: 123RF The Public Service Association (PSA) says potential plans to privatise New Zealand's meat inspection service could put food quality and safety at risk. The PSA said the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is looking at allowing meat processing companies to carry out more of their own inspection work with reduced oversight from AsureQuality (AQ), the government's meat inspection service. Vincent Arbuckle of New Zealand Food Safety said MPI has been reviewing inspection and supervision requirements for exported meat with support from industry and AQ, including looking at more flexible and efficient inspection and verification options. However Arbuckle said no changes had been proposed yet, and any changes would involve a formal consultation process. The PSA feared the changes could result in the loss of jobs at AQ, leading current meat inspectors to move to the private sector, with lower wages and poorer conditions. National secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said independent meat inspectors were important for ensuring high food quality and safety. "It's clear there are plans underway for company meat inspection, which is a major departure from the current situation where we have independent meat inspectors employed by AQ." She said they had been doing an "excellent job" for many years. "The work of meat inspectors ensures that disease and defects in products are identified and that meat is fit for human consumption. "Independent meat inspectors are more rigorous because they have no vested interest in the end product and will not cut corners to increase company profits. Our overseas markets and consumers here at home will miss out if we lose the independence of our meat inspection services." Arbuckle said instead, along with the support of industry and input from AQ, MPI had been developing a programme of work to review the inspection and supervision requirements for exported New Zealand meat. "The programme is investigating possible changes to align New Zealand's requirements for inspecting and verifying exported meat more closely with international guidelines and our own domestic regulatory rules," he said. "As part of this we are investigating models for meat inspection and verification that would allow New Zealand to maintain our high standards for meat products in a more flexible and efficient way." Arbuckle said some companies had carried out inspections for more than a decade with no food safety incidents. Together they accounted for roughly 17 percent of all slaughter establishments, and had exported millions of kilograms of meat. Similarly, he pointed to New Zealand's dairy sector which performed its own quality and food safety compliance with external verification from MPI-appointed verifiers. He said nothing would be changed to risk New Zealand's reputation for food safety. "New Zealand enjoys an excellent reputation for food safety and suitability - this cannot be jeopardised and will not change." Arbuckle said any proposed changes would be subject to a formal consultation process, with the development of any proposals and consultations expected to take the remainder of the year. "We, and our partner AQ, are doing the right thing by communicating with relevant unions to keep them abreast of developments, even at this very early stage." Consultation on possible changes to meat inspection and supervision requirements could start in August. Any resultant changes would not come into force until next year. AQ chief executive Kim Ballinger said as no consultation process had yet been undertaken, she could not comment on any potential outcome implications at this point. She said they were "incredibly proud of our employees for the exceptional meat inspection service they provide" and looked forward to continuing a premium service for New Zealand exports into the future. "We're continuing to prioritise collaboration with our people and unions, customers, MPI, industry bodies and our other partners, to support New Zealand's red meat sector in providing the high-quality, safe meat products that it's renowned for globally." Richard McColl from the Meat Industry Association, which represented meat processors, said one of the models being explored would give members more control and flexibility. "The current meat inspection model is resource intensive and has not evolved along with other parts of the sector. This programme is about giving meat processors and exporters responsibility and ownership of their own risks. "This programme is an opportunity to explore and consider other meat inspection options to achieve the crucial food safety and market access requirements, while also building a more resilient and higher-skilled workforce, with roles that offer greater responsibility, development, and career progression for the thousands of staff employed by red meat processors." He said whichever model was chosen, the final inspection would always be done by a government employee "Our members' reputations rises and falls on the back of food safety outcomes. New Zealand has one of the highest if not the highest reputation for food safety so none of our members are going to compromise food safety outcomes." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
OSPRI Expects Smooth Transition To In-House TB Testing
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at OSPRI officially starts today, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency. Another 10 seasonal field technicians start later in the year. OSPRI took over the TBfree national eradication programme in 2013, and testing was done by AsureQuality. OSPRI general manager disease control, planning and implementation, Simon Andrew, says it now makes sense for the testing to be done by OSPRI, and the transition should be smooth for farmers and the livestock industry. "Testing in-house is a very important step for OSPRI, as an integrated disease control eradication agency," he says. "We're looking forward to carrying out end-to-end control of TB. "We've recruited a strong team of technicians. The expertise they bring will expand our capability and add value to our other programmes. "Testing in-house will bring us closer to farmers, which means we can be more responsive to what farmers need from testing, and from OSPRI." In any one year, a large proportion of the national livestock population is skin tested for TB. The programme undertook about 1.7 million TB tests in the 2023-24 year. "We know farmers and our funders, MPI and livestock industry bodies Beef+Lamb NZ, DairyNZ and the Deer Industry Association, want to see us make more efficient use of the levies paid for the TBfree programme," Simon says. "We are anticipating the cost savings we gain from doing testing in-house will allow us to increase the investment made into possum control, which is the key to achieving TB eradication." Farmers don't need to change what they do. Routine testing will be scheduled when required and to go through normal channels to book a pre-movement test. Along with TBfree, OSPRI also manages NAIT, the national system for tracing cattle and deer, and MBfree, the national eradication programme for Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis).
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Food Quality And Safety Will Suffer If Meat Inspection Service Is Privatised As Govt Proposes
The Government wants to privatise its high-quality meat inspection service ignoring the impact it will have on food quality and safety in announcements being made to meat inspectors. The Ministry for Primary Industries is proposing to allow meat processing companies to carry out more of their own meat inspection work with reduced oversight from AsureQuality, the Government's meat inspection service. AsureQuality employs some 650 meat inspectors who carry out meat inspection on 27 million animals at 65 meat processing facilities every year. Hundreds of highly qualified and experienced AsureQuality meat inspectors could face the axe, with many forced to transfer to the private sector with lower wages and poorer conditions. "This is all about privatising a trusted and valuable service which ensures New Zealand consumers can buy safe, high-quality meat with confidence," said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi. "The work of meat inspectors ensures that disease and defects in products are identified and that meat is fit for human consumption. "Independent meat inspectors are more rigorous because they have no vested interest in the end product and will not cut corners to increase company profits. Our overseas markets and consumers here at home will miss out if we lose the independence of our meat inspection services. "This is just more of the same deregulation agenda we are seeing across health and other parts of the public service. "History tells us who wins from deregulation, business. This proposal is all about boosting the profits of meat companies while dismantling a proven, efficient and independent government owned service that keeps New Zealanders safe from diseased and contaminated meat. "Meat inspectors also play a critical role in underpinning New Zealand's global reputation for excellence in all we export. "Why put all that at risk? "The Government's priorities are again clear - it scrapped pay equity, making underpaid women pay for tax cuts for business in the Budget and it's doing the same here, forcing meat inspectors to take a cut in wages to boost the bottom line of meat companies. "This government has no shame in its reckless pursuit of ideology over the consequences for New Zealanders as we again fail to learn the lessons from the past." Note The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mérieux NutriSciences and AsureQuality Announce the Official Launch of Mérieux NutriSciences AQ (MNAQ) Joint Venture
CHICAGO and AUCKLAND, New Zealand, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mérieux NutriSciences, a global leader in food safety, quality, and sustainability, and AsureQuality, New Zealand's premier food assurance provider, are pleased to announce the official launch of their joint venture, Mérieux NutriSciences AQ (MNAQ). The formation of MNAQ follows the successful completion of Mérieux NutriSciences' acquisition of Bureau Veritas' worldwide food testing activities, including its stake in the BVAQ joint ventures in Southeast Asia and Australia. With the transaction having officially closed in Southeast Asia in January 2025 and now finalized in Australia as of May 31st 2025, MNAQ is fully established and poised to become a leading provider of food testing, assurance, and sustainability solutions in both regions. Kim Ballinger, CEO of AsureQuality, highlighted the strategic significance of the partnership: "We are excited to officially launch MNAQ, reinforcing our commitment to delivering trusted food assurance services to the industry in Australia and Southeast Asia. This partnership with Mérieux NutriSciences strengthens our ability to support New Zealand exporters in key global markets and drive innovation in food safety and quality." Nicolas Cartier, CEO of Mérieux NutriSciences, echoed this enthusiasm: "The completion of this joint venture marks an important milestone in our global growth strategy and purpose. By combining our scientific expertise and deep industry knowledge, and leveraging a team of over 700 talented employees, MNAQ is uniquely positioned to serve our customers across the food value chain with high-value, science-based solutions. Together with our partners at AsureQuality, we are proud to contribute to safer, more sustainable food systems across Southeast Asia and Australia, and beyond." As MNAQ moves forward, it will focus on delivering innovative, science-driven solutions to support food industry players in the region. With a strong foundation built on technical excellence and a shared commitment to food integrity and customer-centricity, the joint venture aims to set new benchmarks for food assurance in Southeast Asia and Australia. About Mérieux NutriSciences: Mérieux NutriSciences leverages over 50 years of scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to answer food industry needs. Today's global challenges transform the way food is produced, marketed and consumed, which is why we know our clients need more than reliable analytical results; they need practical and innovative solutions that will contribute to make food systems safer, healthier and more sustainable. Present worldwide, we have more than 140 accredited laboratories and a team of over 10,000 talented employees. We strongly believe that together, we can create solutions to offer our planet: BETTER FOOD. BETTER HEALTH. BETTER WORLD. About AsureQuality: AsureQuality is a New Zealand government-owned entity providing integrated, end-to-end food assurance and services to the food and primary production sectors. With a scientific and agricultural heritage spanning 150 years, AsureQuality has built a trusted reputation for delivering expert services and value across the entire food supply chain. Media contacts:MÉRIEUX NUTRISCIENCES media@ marketing@ View original content: SOURCE Mérieux NutriSciences Sign in to access your portfolio
