Assurance programme kicks off

It demonstrates how meat companies have worked together and with the livestock transport industry, to satisfy their New Zealand and international customer needs.

The NZLTA programme was inspired by the meat processors' need for greater assurance that all livestock are transported safely and efficiently and meet Code of Welfare requirements.

At this stage NZLTA membership includes AFFCO New Zealand, South Pacific Meats Ltd, ANZCO Foods (CMP and Riverlands), Ovation New Zealand and Silver Fern Farms, which represents a significant proportion of New Zealand's processing capacity. The programme covers cattle, sheep, lambs, goats and calves. This initiative is well aligned to the Red Meat Sector Strategy in which recommendations to adopt best practice and for collaboration amongst stakeholders are prime objectives.

Over the past two years the companies have been working together with the Road Transport Forum (RTF) and AsureQuality which will manage and provide third party assessment of the programme.

The NZLTA group has established an assurance framework that will support both the meat and livestock transport industries to work in a co-ordinated approach, in what is a highly specialised and critical aspect of the food supply chain.

The NZLTA programme is being welcomed by Road Transport Forum chief executive Ken Shirley.

"One of the major positives is that the NZLTA has been drawn up directly by the parties involved in livestock transport, not by officials, so it has operator and meat processor buy in. The forum has also had major input into many of its provisions." There are a whole range of benefits from this approach, Shirley says. "Internalising the driver training regime within the industry will substantially reduce costs and streamline processes; it addresses animal welfare concerns through increased training and knowledge transfer."

The programme will cover about 390 transport operators and will take six months to fully implement.