March 1, 2007

 

New Zealand modifies its beef import rules
 

 

New Zealand has changed its import requirements for beef and beef products because of new science and knowledge about bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE.

 

The changes reflect recent findings from the growing body of science that more accurately identifies the risks and measures required to protect consumers from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), the human disease which has been linked to eating beef offal containing the BSE agent.

 

According to Tim Knox, New Zealand Food Safety Authority's standards director, the old measures, in place since 1996, has reflected a precautionary approach to protect its consumers against vCJD.

 

However, the country's stand to change its rules concerns the developments of research against BSE, said Knox has increased their understanding about the disease and virtually eliminated the risk of consumers of contacting vCJD.

 

The new measures have undergone a comprehensive process of review and expert consideration to ensure they are consistent with scientific evidence and the emerging international standards.

 

As a result New Zealand will:

• move to an internationally agreed three-category system for categorizing the BSE risk status of those countries exporting beef and or beef-related products to New Zealand;
    
• adopt international risk assessments rather than conducting its own;
   
• exclude offal that has been identified as BSE risk material from any country with a residual risk of BSE;
   
• exempt processed foods that contain minimal bovine ingredients from those commodities that are covered by the measure;
   
• adopt a consistent framework for determining the acceptability of imported products and the need for any certification;
   
• remove age restrictions on the source of commodities and not specify measures to provide for traceability;
   
• allow all gelatin to be traded freely, regardless of the source of the raw material and the exporting country's BSE risk status.

Gelatin derived from bones was originally considered a risk because of fears that it could contain the BSE prion.

 

However, recent studies have confirmed that chemical processes used in the manufacture of gelatin are sufficient to inactivate any BSE infectivity that may have been present in the raw material, even under worst-case conditions.

 

Knox stated gelatine produced by modern industrial processes does not pose a BSE risk to consumers, regardless of the raw material from which it is produced and the source of the country from which it is derived.

 

The new requirements will come into effect on 29 June 2007 although gelatin will be freely traded before then.

 

The new requirements are not related to New Zealand's domestic animal health measures regarding BSE and will not override current animal health requirements, such as the ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban.

 

New Zealand has been classified as BSE-free by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and is regarded by the European Food Safety Authority as a country in which BSE is "highly unlikely" to be present.