Malaysia slashes list of NZ meatworks allowed to send exports

Malaysia has carved a large number of premises from its list of New Zealand meatworks from which it will accept imports.

It has also slashed its list of the animal species it will accepts from some meatworks, to the point where Affco NZ Ltd's Moerewa meatworks is the only NZ plant acceptable as a source of beef or cattle offal.

New Zealand meat exports to Malaysia in 2004 included 8400 tonnes of beef and 10,000 tonnes of offals, together worth $54.1 million, and 6100 tonnes of sheepmeat worth $23.4 million.

Until now Malaysia has been New Zealand's second largest customer for beef offal and eighth most valuable market for beef, and New Zealand is the country's main supplier of sheepmeat, mainly to the hotel and restaurant trade. It is a major purchaser of halal meat, slaughtered in accordance with Islamic religious requirements.

Agricultural officials yesterday advised the nation's meat exporters not to send product to Malaysia from premises which had been dropped from the list, or product from species that had been delisted.

New Zealand diplomats have told the Food Safety Authority in Wellington that the Malaysian Department of Veterinary Services dropped "a large number of premises and species previously approved for export to Malaysia".

Peter Gollan, the FSA's senior programme manager for market access said he had received no official notification of the change from the Malaysians.

"We cannot provide any information at this point on cut-off dates for exports to Malaysia from premises removed from the list, or that have had species removed from the list, or any other information regarding product in transit," he told the meat industry in a memo.

"Similarly, we do not know the reasons for the changes to the list".

He said the FSA would attempt to clarify the situation.

The updated Maylaysian list of approved abattoirs and other meatworks list only 16 for the whole of New Zealand.

They include three for Alliance Group plants, at Smithfield (Timaru), Pukeuri (Oamaru) and Stoke, and three for Affco NZ Ltd, at Wairoa, Moerewa, and Rangiuru.

Three Richmond plants at Takapau, Waitotara and Oringi are also listed.

Smaller plants include Frasertown Meat at Wairoa, Taylor Preston Ltd at Ngauranga, Progressive Meats at Hastings and at Gisborne, Bernard Matthews at Gisborne, Crusader Meats at Benneydale, and Lamb Packers Feilding Ltd.

Most of the plants are allowed to send carcass, cuts, offal and deboned meat of sheep, but only Affco's Moerewa plant can send beef. Taylor Preston can send frozen and chilled lamb and offal, Lamb Packers can only send sheep carcasses, Progressive's Gisborne plant is allowed to send carcasses and offal from both sheep and goats.

Earlier this year, meat exporters welcomed plans for New Zealand and Malaysia to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA).

Meat and Wool NZ chief executive Mark Jeffries said Malaysia was an increasingly important market for New Zealand meat and an FTA "promises to benefit New Zealand meat and wool farmers and industry".

In 2004, exports of sheepmeat, beef and wool totalled approximately $78 million or 15 per cent of New Zealand's total exports to Malaysia.

- NZPA