increase font size
Members of the public are urged to source their meat from regulated outlets like butcheries, supermarkets, and other meat sellers.
The Ministry for Primary Industries has intercepted a large-scale illegal home kill operation in the greater Auckland region.
MPI Northern region investigations manager, Simon Anderson, says compliance officers yesterday executed six search warrants at rural and urban addresses in the west and south of the city.
“Officers seized a refrigerated container, a truck, unregulated meat, and a large amount of food processing equipment.
“This was a large-scale, sophisticated operation involving more than 100 customers.
“A number of people are now being spoken to as a result of our investigation.”
Anderson says members of the public are urged to source their meat from regulated outlets like butcheries, supermarkets, and other meat sellers.
“This is particularly the case in the lead up to Christmas where illegal home kill operations are, traditionally, more prevalent.
“Meat being sold directly from a farm to the public is a strong indicator of unlicensed activity.
“If whole beasts are being sold then the carcass must be stamped by an abattoir. Processed meat sold in trays in shops should be labelled.
“Any suspicious or unlicensed meat sellers should be reported. If we receive information about these kind of operations we will shut them down and prosecute the people making money from selling potentially substandard product.
“There’s a very serious public health component to our interest in ensuring people comply with the law. We have a duty to protect the public from the threat of various food borne illnesses associated with illegal home kill.
“Most people have no problem complying but a few do flout the law.
“The fines are substantial for those convicted and serious offenders risk custodial sentences. Individuals involved in illegal activity face a prison term of up to five years and a fine of up to $100,000 – it’s just not worth it.”
The public can report any suspicious activity to MPI’s Food safety helpline: 0800 00 83 33.
Testing confirms H5 bird flu in a single northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa, says Dr Mary van Andel, the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Chief Veterinary Officer.
The apple sector is working with the Government to unlock access to two key markets that could bring millions in revenue for apple growers.
A Palmerston North shearer has been sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision after being found to have physically abused three lambs while shearing them.
OPINION: A simpler, clearer, more effective Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.
The country's second largest milk processor is warning against 'complacency' during a review of competition regulations in the dairy sector.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household grocery budgets, new figures show pork remains one of the most affordable fresh meat options for New Zealand families.
OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.
Farmers can spend less time on paperwork, thanks to a new data sharing agreement between DairyNZ’s DairyBase and LIC’s MINDA software.
Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.
Rural New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s recent package of rural healthcare initiatives.
Interest in agritech and production animal systems has prompted Massey University's School of Agriculture and the Environment to new majors to its popular animal science degree.
OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…
