NZ fails to meet China's export certification rules

WELLINGTON - The New Zealand government was urged Monday to reverse its deregulation of the meat processing industry after meat exports to China were blocked for the second time this year.

The main opposition Labor Party suggested the government was lacking "the confidence of Chinese authorities" after container- loads of New Zealand meat were stopped at Dalian, a port city in Northeast China, because they lacked proper certification.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye said Saturday that they had only become aware two days previously of new Chinese rules requiring veterinarians to be directly linked to the last site the meat was at before export.

Guy, who is currently on an official visit to China, said the New Zealand and Chinese governments had "a warm and professional relationship" that enabled New Zealand officials to quickly resolve the issue.

"We have a very successful trading relationship underpinned by the free trade agreement. No other country is ahead of us in terms of meat access into China," he said in a statement.

Officials were working on a new process of certification that addressed consignments en-route to China and "a pragmatic solution" to enable current consignments to be cleared, Kaye said in the statement.

Chinese meat officials would be in New Zealand next week to progress the comprehensive new meat access arrangements for the future.

The new rules came into force Monday, involving 1,323 consignments, or an estimated 30,000 tons of meat, that had already left New Zealand.