Review of Provisional Import Health Standards for Pig Meat and Pig Meat Products
On the 7th August 2009 the Director-General of the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) agreed to an independent review of provisional Import Health Standards for Pig Meat and Pig Meat Products issued by MAF in April 2009. The review was requested by the New Zealand Pork Industry Board.
An independent review panel was established from persons consulted under section 22(6) of the Biosecurity Act.
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/regs/imports/ihs/review22a
The Director General carefully considered those findings and released his decision.
- Chief Technical Officer's Advice to Director-General on Report of Independent Review Panel
(6466 KB)
Along with this decision, a programme of further work was commenced, which helped guide the Director General’s final decision on issuing of the pork import health standards.
Central to that work programme was a risk assessment using quantitative methodology based on the existing model developed by Neumann et al, 2007, adjusted to take into account the dose-response information contained in Hermann et al, 2005.
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has been developing the risk assessment, which will be peer reviewed by an independent expert to ensure technical robustness. This review will be completed by mid September 2010.
Stakeholders were given the opportunity to nominate an expert who could review the quantitative risk assessment. From these nominations MAF formed a working group with expertise in quantitative risk modeling, porcine diseases and the pig industry. This group advised MAF on the validity of the quantitative risk assessment conclusions with respect to imported pig meat that has not been subjected to heat treatment or pH-curing and the likelihood of introducing PRRS into New Zealand.
MAF facilitated the review of the risk assessment by the nominated experts within the working group. Each expert produced their own review and MAF consolidated these reviews, along with supporting analysis, and presented them to the Director General.
Recommendation for the issue of import health standards (2245 KB)
On 13 April, 2011 MAF issued four Import Heath Standards for pig meat, pig meat products and by-products from Canada, the EU, Mexico and the USA.
The Import Health Standards, and MAF’s process to develop them, take into consideration the available science, and will provide for effective management of biosecurity risks, considering the legal obligations under Section 22(5) of the Biosecurity Act.
The updated Import Health Standards permit importation of consumer-ready cuts of uncooked pork from countries where the disease Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is present. PPRS has not been found in New Zealand.
MAF considers the risk of introducing PPRS will be effectively managed through the application of the measures in the Import Health Standards. For uncooked pork, the modelling work undertaken shows that removal of lymph nodes and restricting imports of fresh meat to consumer-ready cuts weighing no more than 3kg effectively manages the risk of PRRS introduction.
A minor amendment has been made to the specification of the requirements in relation to pH-cured pork in the final import health standard to take appropriate account of the published science on viral stability. This effectively manages biosecurity risk under the Biosecurity Act and aligns with manufacturing norms, thereby meeting the principles of being least-trade restrictive in accordance with the World Trade Organisations Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
- Importing Pig By-Products from Canada and/or the United States of America
- Importing Pig Meat and Pig Meat Products for Human Consumption from Canada and/or the United States of America
- Importing Pig Meat and Pig Meat Products for Human Consumption from the European Union
- Importing Pig Meat and Pig Meat Products for Human Consumption from the Sonora State Of Mexico
Page last updated: 13 April 2011