Editorial: War's over
OPINION: In recent years farmers have been crying foul of unworkable and expensive regulations.
The Ministry for Primary Industries must name the imported berry products linked to Hepatitis A and recall them, says Labour's Primary Industry spokesman Damien O'Connor.
"It is not good enough to just warn people to boil the berries before eating them. Thousands of people every day around the country are drinking smoothies full of berries," says O'Connor.
"Hepatitis A is particularly dangerous for the elderly and those with chronic liver damage."
O'Connor says the Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy must seek urgent answers from his ministry over its handling of imported frozen berries linked to a Hepatitis A outbreak.
"Australian officials recalled important frozen berries there in February. Nathan Guy must explain why – when there is a joint Australasian approach to food safety – the same wasn't done here," he says.
"This latest scare is yet again proof that Labour is right to call for the return of a stand-alone food safety agency."
Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand has no intention of backing down in a trade dispute with Canada over dairy products.
There have been leadership changes at the Hamilton-based Dairy Goat Co-operative, which has been struggling financially in recent years.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: In recent years farmers have been crying foul of unworkable and expensive regulations.
Another 16 commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme designed to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Kiwi exporters will be $100 million better off today as the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force.