Tag Archives: MAF

Ministry for Primary Industries’ Strategy 2030

Posted on by
Reply

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has set itself an ambitious strategy to 2030 with the subtitle ‘Growing and protecting New Zealand,’ writes Allan Barber.

In its introduction, the Ministry asks ‘Why this strategy?’ which it answers by saying a re-balancing of the economy towards more productive sources of growth is required and New Zealand must trade itself to greater growth and prosperity.

When one considers that 71 cents in every dollar of merchandise export earnings come from the primary sector, there are no prizes for guessing where most of this is expected to come from. The Government’s strategic growth agenda contains the goal of increasing the ratio of exports to GDP from 30 percent to 40 percent of GDP by 2025, so clearly agriculture will be expected to generate the majority of this increase.

MPI, which now incorporates the functions of MAF, as well as the Ministry of Fisheries and New Zealand Food Safety Authority, has a major role and responsibility for helping to achieve these goals. Having always believed that government agencies must provide the framework and environment within which business has to perform and achieve, it’s expecting too much of MPI and its strategy, if we believe that this will be easy.

Strategy 2030 contains two points of focus: first to ‘maximise export opportunities and improve sector productivity’ and second to ‘increase sustainable resource use, and protect from biological risk.’

Key strategies to achieve these are:

  • Partnering with the primary sectors to identify and seize opportunities for improved productivity and market returns;
  • Removing unnecessary barriers to trade and increasing our use of international standards to enhance value;
  • Encouraging and co-investing in industry innovation and adoption;
  • Identifying and managing risks to New Zealand’s natural resources;
  • Partnering innovative approaches to environmental challenges; and
  • Better understanding the challenges to sustainable use of New Zealand’s natural resources.

The Ministry’s approach will concentrate on enabling and partnering by cooperating, facilitating, providing information and tools, using a whole-of-government approach across the primary sector and connecting primary sectors with one another. A key aspect of this is to engage with Maori which MPI sees as a core obligation.

Before jumping to the conclusion that this obligation is yet another example of political correctness, which is tempting, one must realise that Maoridom has $10.6 billion invested in primary sector assets including 1.5 million hectares of land of which MPI says 80 percent is underutilised. This degree of underperformance certainly needs to be improved and will produce economic returns for both Maori and the country as a whole.

MPI’s structure to deliver its strategy consists of five branches across the whole operation: Policy, Standards, Verification and systems, Compliance and response, and Resource management and programmes. These five branches encapsulate the total range of activities which the Ministry undertakes. The ones with the highest profile are food safety, animal welfare and biosecurity, but these are just the tip of the iceberg.

MPI has responsibility for literally everything and everybody leaving and entering the country. It negotiates standards with the regulatory authorities of our trading partners; it establishes the systems and maintains surveillance to ensure compliance with these standards. It also develops and implements policies across the whole gamut of New Zealand’s agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture sectors.

It is staggering to reflect that in 1987 David Lange saw agriculture as a sunset industry with New Zealand’s future lying in becoming the Switzerland of the South Pacific.

Now more than ever, the primary sector is the engine of our economic growth. MPI’s core responsibilities of setting and applying systems and standards for food safety, animal welfare and biosecurity, while ensuring effective response to pest incursions and non-compliance, are absolutely fundamental to our future place in the world.

The Ministry has an enormous responsibility for ensuring the protection and security of our whole primary sector which is a critical part of our economic growth.

Provided it doesn’t lose its focus on the clearly defined essential outcomes listed in its strategy, this is how it will make its major contribution towards ensuring New Zealand’s future prosperity.

Allan is an agribusiness commentator with particular interest in the meat industry and has his own blog Barber’s Meaty Issues. This article also appears at interest.co.nz.

Meat inspection no longer exclusively provided by AsureQuality

Posted on by
Reply

Last Tuesday, AFFCO’s Imlay plant in Whanganui was the first to be allowed to introduce meat inspection by its own employees. Till then this function has been performed exclusively by government employed meat inspectors, originally employed by MAF, subsequently by the state-owned-enterprise AsureQuality, writes Allan Barber.

The proposal to allow meat companies to have a hand in meat inspection finally saw light of day about two years ago, although the companies have been dissatisfied with the government monopoly for many years. I can remember the issue raising its head in the early 1990s when the meat inspectors went on strike because of pay and conditions.

AFFCO, for whom I worked at the time, had its production disrupted by a group of employees on its plants, employed by a different employer on different terms from its own workforce and belonging to a different union, the Public Service Association (PSA). Not surprisingly, AFFCO was unhappy at this state of affairs.

But 20 years later, after negotiations and discussions with MAF, then the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and a trial at Imlay, overseas regulatory authorities (notably USDA and EU) have approved the equivalence of the proposed inspection procedure.

There will still be at least two AsureQuality food safety assessors monitoring each shift and final oversight of the product remains the responsibility of the MPI Verification vets on the plant. The most significant difference will be in the total number of employees, because on all plants there have been up to 12 meat inspectors and supervisors across a two shift operation.

In future, meat workers on the chain will be responsible for their own inspection, supervised by official inspectors who must be trained to the same level and subject to the same performance checks as AsureQuality’s inspectors. There will be considerable savings from the new system which the PSA argues will place an undue emphasis on production at the expense of food safety.

MPI released the proposed Post Mortem Inspection regulations for cattle, sheep and goats and asked for submissions by 13 July this year. The response, from what I assume was the PSA, raised several concerns about the risks to New Zealand’s reputation for safe food which the current inspection model had guaranteed for more than three decades. MPI’s replies to the objections indicated its satisfaction with the proposed process which overseas authorities had already approved.

In its submission, the PSA also stated its willingness to discuss opportunities for more flexibility and productivity gains. This all sounds constructive, until one realises the meat companies have been trying for at least 20 years to do just that without success.

A further four meat plants – Alliance Smithfield, Silver Fern Farms Pareora, Riverlands Blenheim and AFFCO Manawatu – will adopt the new company meat inspection procedure by the end of January 2013. At this point, a review will be conducted before approval for a rollout across the industry over the next two seasons.

Kelvan Smith, AsureQuality’s group manager operations, says that the SOE accepts what is happening is inevitable, but wants to make sure it has a clear understanding of the industry’s timetable for the change. His main concern is to manage the impact on employees of what is likely to be a 50 percent reduction in staff numbers by the end of the process.

It is possible that not all meat processors will want to change from the present system, especially if they have a good working relationship with the meat inspectors working at their plants. However, cost pressures make this unlikely, if the new arrangements work well. The PSA and its affected members will be keeping their fingers crossed.

 

David Bayvel moves to WSPA

Posted on by
Reply

A familiar face in New Zealand animal welfare is taking on a new international role.

As of 1 July, Dr David Bayvel QSO – who recently retired as director of animal welfare for MAF – will join the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) as Chief Veterinary Adviser. His newly created part-time role will be replacing the role held by Dr David Wilkins from 2004-2012.

In his new role, Bayvel will help to ensure that WSPA is working at the heart of the veterinary profession around the world to support and advance animal welfare. This will include working with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on the drafting of standards to ensure the implementaton of international standards and laws to protect the welfare of animals, says WSPA. He will also advise on WSPA’s programmes supporting the education of veterinarians through specially designed animal welfare training modules.

A renowned expert in the fields of animal welfare and veterinary science, Bayvel’s career has taken him around the world in the past four decades, including posts in private and public sector organisations and veterinary practice promoting ethical care and treatment of animals. He recently retired from the position of director of animal welfare for New Zealand MAF. He chaired the OIE ad hoc export group meeting on animal welfare and chaired the permanent OIE Animal Welfare working group from 2002-2012. He will now move to represent the International Coalition for Animal Welfare on this important OIE group.

Bayvel says he’s honoured to join WSPA. “I have long admired WSPA’s measured approach to animal welfare and its commitment to improving the conditions for animals around the world. WSPA has a proven track record on the world stage of forging collaborations with other key international NGOs and governments to have a lasting positive impact for animals and their communities.”

Dr Wilkins is to continue his involvement with WSPA, working on several special projects.

Praise for industry’s animal welfare approach

Posted on by
Reply

Primary Industries Minister David Carter has praised the Primary Industry Chief Executive’s Animal Welfare Forum for its contribution to animal welfare.

Carter attended the biannual meeting of the Forum recently and endorsed the group’s 2012 plan.

“New Zealand’s major livestock production industries are taking a responsible approach to animal welfare standards through encouraging voluntary compliance and proactive initiatives,” he said.

One of the Forum’s key 2012 projects involves working with farmers, meat processors, transport operators, private veterinarians and MAF to ensure that all transported animals are fit for transport. The group is also focusing on the on-farm welfare and transportation of bobby calves for slaughter.

David Carter, Minister for Primary Industries