Monthly Archives: September 2012

Hearing loss goes unnoticed

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Over half of your plant workers, who think they might have good hearing, could actually have suffered hearing loss, according to a recent US study.

A University of Michigan School of Nursing study of 2,691 people found significant differences between measured and perceived hearing loss, with over half who thought they heard well, found that they had actually lost hearing. Even those with a workplace hearing conservation programme and annual testing may be unaware of their actual hearing ability. The findings are consistent with other studies showing a discrepancy between measured and perceived hearing loss.

The researchers said that healthcare providers need better methods of testing and protecting hearing among factory workers.

Next week is Deaf Awareness Week here in New Zealand, which the National Deaf Foundation Inc (NDF) is using to increase awareness of hearing matters, including bullying of hearing impaired people in the workplace and captioning across the media.

Another campaign being fought by the Foundation relates to the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) tightening up regulations on funding hearing aids for noise-induced hearing lost (typically from exposure to loud machinery or other noisy environments). These set the bar much higher. ACC now deducts an increasing percentage based on age – men aged 57 years and women 65.

“However, research suggests that noise-induced hearing loss can actually speed up age-related hearing loss,” NDF says, adding that the extra costs mean many individuals cannot afford hearing aids. Having exhausted other avenues, NDF will be taking the case to the Human Rights Review Tribunal later this year.

The NFD has some pointers for clear communication with hearing-impaired people in your workplace:

  • Make your face and mouth clearly visible
  • Talk to the person, not to his/her companions
  • Speak slowly – use pauses and don’t shout
  • Rephrase your statement if you are asked to repeat it
  • Use cues to identify a topic, such as “About the warrant of fitness …”
  • Use pen and paper or face and hand movements
  • Don’t make them feel stupid with your response.

Agriculture contributes to GDP growth

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Agriculture was a main contributor to growth in New Zealand’s economic growth in the March 2012 quarter, according to Statistics NZ.

Economic activity, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.6 percent in the June 2012 quarter, following revised growth of one percent in the March 2012 quarter.

Agriculture was one of the main contributors to the growth, increasing by 4.7 percent, with continued good growing conditions resulting in increased milk production, Statistics NZ says.

“The good pasture conditions in the first half of the year continued to contribute to economic growth this quarter, national accounts manager Rachael Milicich says.

Construction, transport, postal and warehousing and manufacturing were other strong sectors.

“We are also now seeing evidence of a rebuild in Canterbury following the earthquakes,” Milicich says.

The size of the economy (in current prices) was $205 billion for the year ended June 2012.

LFTB: lawsuit filed

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US lawyers have filed a US$1 billion + (NZ$1.2 billion+) defamation lawsuit, on behalf of South Dakota based Beef Products Inc, against the ABC News team for a series of comments made on the channel earlier this year about lean finely textured beef (LFTB) – sometimes pejoratively described as ‘pink slime’.

LFTB is lean beef that is separated in a manufacturing process from fatty beef trimmings, to reduce wastage. The process involves treating the LFTB with small amounts of ammonium hydroxide gas or citric acid to eliminate any harmful bacteria present. The process has been approved as safe by the US Department of Agriculture and it has been reported that over 70 percent of ground beef used in the US is believed to have incorporated LFTB as an ingredient.

However, a range of media commentators including ABC News and British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, criticised the practice and the campaign spread through social media platforms. Despite statements by the USDA and meat industry bodies asserting that LFTB is safe for consumption, a number of major retailers and restaurant chains decided not to use LFTB as a result of considerable negative publicity against the product.

As a result of the campaign, sales dropped off dramatically for the company, which led to it closing three of its four plants in May. The American Meat Institute estimated that without LFTB, the industry would need 1.5 million additional head of cattle to make up the difference in beef supply.

The BPI lawsuit alleges the network’s coverage misled consumers to believe the company’s product was unhealthy and unsafe. News reports note that Walt Disney-owned ABC News has denied the claims and say it will contest them vigorously.

LFTB is not used in New Zealand, as the leaner, pasture-raised New Zealand beef does not produce the high fat trimmings that provide the raw ingredient for LFTB, the Meat Industry Association confirmed earlier this year.

Lessons learned from the LFTB saga were aired at last week’s Australian Meat Industry Council business conference. News reports suggest that various speakers warned that social media could pose a threat and the meat industry needs to be on the front foot when it comes to tackling misinformation.

More information about the BPI lawsuit …

MIA signs biosecurity MoU

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Last week, the Biosecurity Reform Bill passed into law. As it announced in June, the Government wants primary sector groups to participate in the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) for biosecurity decision-making and cost-sharing. The Primary Production Committee, which was responsible for the final draft of the Bill, received more than 40 submissions.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been drawn up describing how individual industry groups and Government will develop a business case for participation in joint decision-making and cost-sharing, writes Allan Barber. He finds that, despite initial caution, the Meat Industry Association, has signed the Government’s GIA proposal “provided the value proposition is acceptable.”

Read more …

Alliance getting ready for new season

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Meat processor and exporter Alliance Group, like many others, has been busy getting ready for the new meat export season. The company has announced new plant and process modifications at two of its South Island plants, Pukeuri and Lorneville, recently. 

Additional shift and modifications at Pukeuri

Alliance is to provide an additional shift at its Pukeuri plant as it ramps up cattle processing in the peak period, the company announced last week.

The third shift at the plant north of Oamaru will enable the company to process 880 extra cattle a week through May and June when the cattle throughput traditionally hits its peak. the third shift will also offer about 80 existing employees from the sheep and lamb processing shifts a longer season.

Alliance Group is currently undertaking a number of modifications to the plant, including extending the cattle yards ahead of the change.

John Brader, general manager of processing at Alliance Group, says the additional third shift was necessary to ensure Alliance continues to meet the needs of its suppliers.

Alterations have been made in Alliance’s systems to accommodate the additional cartons, giving more flexibility to which blast freezers or equilibration chillers the product can be directed, he explained.

Pukeuri processes more than 10,500 sheep and lambs a day. More than 900 staff work at the plant, which is the largest employer in North Otago. It is estimated the plant injects around $100 million into the local economy each year.

New rendering plant at Lorneville

In addition, Alliance announced that it has also completed the construction of the building for a new $13 million rendering plant at it’s Lorneville plant near Invercargill. Rendering machinery is now being installed in the 1,121 square metre building. The facility, which is designed to reduce Alliance’s energy and operating costs, as well as improve product recovery, is expected to be commissioned in October.

The new plant incorporates the latest technology, including a Press Dewatering System, which uses less energy and produces high quality products. When fitted with a waste heat evaporator, the process is virtually ‘zero waste’, resulting in high product yields and low wastewater output.

The first stage in a larger rendering redevelopment project, two further stages are proposed in the future. The complete project is said to save 9,000 tonnes of lignite and more than 1.5 million hours of electricity a year, enough to power 170 homes a year, the company says.

John Brader says the new rendering plant represented the largest single investment at the Lorneville plant for more than a decade.

“Completion of the building marks a major milestone for the development. Rendering remains a significant contributor to Alliance Group’s income and the investment in the latest technology will ensure we maximise revenue in this area.

“Alliance measures energy use and the associated greenhouse gas emissions from its plant to assist in making good business decisions.

“Since 2000, Alliance Group has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from energy use at its processing plants by 26 percent per unit of production and total fuel use has been reduced by 32 percent.”

Almost 2,000 people are employed at Lorneville, which is New Zealand’s largest sheepmeat processing plant.

Blue Sky reconfiguring

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Stuff.co.nz reported this week that Blue Sky Meats is looking at reconfiguring its slaughtering shifts to cope with what it says is a sinking industry. About 100 jobs are thought to be on the line. Less stock, extreme weather conditions and a marked shift towards the dairy industry have been blamed for a downturn in Southland’s meat industry, the article says.

 

Biosecurity reform bill passes into law

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The most significant changes to the Biosecurity Act in 15 years were brought into place this week, when the Biosecurity Law Reform bill passed into law.

The bill makes a wide range of amendments to the Act, along with related amendments to four other Acts.

“New Zealand has a highly effective biosecurity system which is recognised as world-leading, but the legislation has not kept pace with the way the system has had to evolve to meet ever-growing challenges,” says Primary Industries Minister David Carter.

“The amended Act covers the areas of border security, biosecurity, joint decision-making on newly detected harmful organisms and on-going management of established pests. the reforms will enable better use of information to target risks and encouage partnerships in the management of potential biosecurity incursions.”

A key plank of the reforms is the development of government-industry agreements on preparing for, and responding to, newly detected pests and diseases and for sharing the costs of jointly-agreed activities, the Minister says.

“Protecting New Zealand from biosecurity risks cannot be the role of government alone,” says Carter. “Industry expertise needs to be brought to the decision-making table to help improve prioritisation and our preparedness to respond to incursions.”