Poultry Company Falls Fowl on GM-Free Claim
NEW ZEALAND - The Commerce Commission has warned a poultry company about its claim that its chicken free of genetically modified (GM) ingredients, following an expert report that stated: 'There can be a residual difference in animals or animal-products...

New Zealand Reports No Salmonella in Poultry Meat
NEW ZEALAND - Not a single sample of poultry meat has been found to be contaminated with Salmonella in the second quarter of this year, bringing the total so far in 2009 to just one positive sample in almost 1,000 taken from slaughterhouses. It is FoodSafe...

New Zealand Has Cut Campylobacter Cases by Half
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand leads the world in controlling campylobacter, according to the country's food safety authority. Cases of foodborne disease have been cut by half in less than three years.

Survey to Look at Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
NEW ZEALAND - The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has embarked on a new project as part of efforts to keep down levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the human food chain.

Farmers Urged to Follow Product Label Instructions
NEW ZEALAND - The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is reminding farmers that off-label use of veterinary medicines may land them a day in court and a significant fine.

New Test Can Tell Cage Eggs from Free-Range
NEW ZEALAND - A researcher at the Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) National Isotope Centre has developed a test based on isotope analysis to distinguish between battery (cage) barn, free-range and organic eggs based on the hen's diet.

Fine for Unhygienic Poultry Processor
NEW ZEALAND - A Auckland poultry processor whose company slaughtered thousands of poultry in filthy conditions has been heavily fined in a case brought by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA).

Officials Not Testing if Poultry Industry is 'Plumping'
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand food safety authorities say that they have not tested local chicken breasts to see if they have been plumped up with injections of "protein powders" from pigs or cattle.

Campaign Group Makes Waves over 'GM-Free' Claim
NEW ZEALAND - Anti-genetic engineering campaigning group, GE-Free New Zealand, is warning consumers that chicken marketed by an Australian poultry company as free of genetic modification (GM) may have eaten feed containing GM ingredients.

Chicken Price Differential Investigated
NEW ZEALAND - Consumer organisations are concerned about the high prices being charged for some chickens, and are asking for more information to justify the prices charged to shoppers.

Controversy Emerges over NZ Hen Welfare Study
NEW ZEALAND - Some farmers have criticised the recently published survey of hen welfare hen in different farming systems.

Egg Farmers Welcome Independent Welfare Study
NEW ZEALAND - Egg farmers have welcomed the findings of an independent hen welfare study comparing battery cages with barns and free-range systems.

Pas Reform Expands into New Zealand and Beyond
NEW ZEALAND - Pas Reform has expanded into New Zealand and the Pacific Islands by appointing McGregor Lochhead of Sonoma Enterprises.

NZFSA Strategy Fights Foodborne Salmonella
NEW ZEALAND - The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has launched its plan to reduce the incidence of Salmonella in food. There are 1,274 cases reported to public health units a year, or 30.2 cases for every 100,000 New Zealanders.

Big Dutchman Appoints Distributor for New Zealand
NEW ZEALAND - Big Dutchman Asia (BD Asia), Shah Alam, Malaysia, has appointed Landmore Agri Services Ltd as their new distributor for the New Zealand market effective from 1 April 2009.

Free-Range Egg Federation Supports High Standards
NEW ZEALAND - The free-range egg industry unites to protect consumers' interests. Standards should not be relaxed to meet rising demand, says the Egg Producers Federation.

NZ Commission Explains its Rejection of Brinks Takeover
NEW ZEALAND - The Commerce Commission has explained why it declined to allow Tegel Foods Limited to acquire its rival, Brinks (including P.H. Van den Brink Limited, VDB Industries Limited, Brinks South Island Limited, Southland VDB Limited and BAT Promotions...

Study on Reducing Campylobacteriosis
NEW ZEALAND - The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has released five reports on scientific studies and other work completed as part of its strategy to deal with the problem of Campylobacter in the food chain.

More Animal Welfare Resources Called for
NEW ZEALAND - The New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) is supporting a proposal from the Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) for more animal welfare resources.

Weathering the Storm: The Fate of Meat
NEW ZEALAND - The longer-term outlook is positive for New Zealand's livestock producers, who are well-placed to over-come short-term challenges and weather the storm created by the current financial crisis, audiences in rural New Zealand were told last...

Antibiotic Sales Show Little Change
NEW ZEALAND - Total sales of prescription veterinary medicines containing antibiotics in New Zealand in the 2006/07 year have decreased to levels similar to the 2002/03 year, and are down 11.9 per cent on 2005/06 sales, according to a report from the...

Tegel's Purchase of Brinks Rejected
NEW ZEALAND - The Commerce Commission has declined an application by the country's biggest poultry producer, Tegel Food Limited, to acquire five Brinks poultry businesses.

Boost for Massey Research into Campylobacter
NEW ZEALAND - Eleven research projects led by Massey Unversity staff have been awarded a total of NZ$5.4 million in funding over the next three years from the Marsden Fund administered by the Royal Society. Among the projects to receive finiancial support...

NZ Annual Welfare Report Released
NEW ZEALAND - The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) issued its 2007 Annual Report today.

Egg Company Hatches Plan to Boost Cooking Confidence
NEW ZEALAND - Leading egg producer, Farmer Brown, has commissioned a survey that highlights how many young people are unable to cook simple egg dishes or are too nervous to do so. It is launching a campaign to help boost knowledge and confidence.