April 10, 2009

New Zealand's leading rural sector organisation, Federated Farmers, is concerned that the health standards for imported pork have been lowered.

The move will heighten the risk of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) entering New Zealand, which alongside Australia are the only pig producing countries free from the disease, said John Hartnell, Federated Farmers biosecurity spokesperson.

The New Zealand pig herd could become infected with PRRS if infected imported raw pork was fed to an unregistered pig, and piglet mortality can peak at 70 percent during the acute phase, Hartnell said, adding that low risk does not equate to no risk.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) should set import health standards, requiring imported raw meat products to come from countries that are either disease free, or share the same disease profile as New Zealand, Hartnell said.

Previous import standards stated that the pork must be either from a country free from PRRS; or treated prior to import by approved cooking or pH change; or in the form of consumer-ready cuts.

-         Curing - the lower end of the pH treatment range has been changed from 5 or lower to 6 or lower. Research shows that infectivity is rapidly lost at pH 6 or lower.

-         The definition of cuts has been revised so it is internationally verifiable and certifiable and limited to consumer-ready cuts.

-         Consumer-ready cuts for direct retail sale must have all major lymph nodes removed, and be sold in packages that cannot exceed 3kg.