Moves by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) to allow meat companies to do their own inspections will put human health and overseas markets at risk, says the Public Service Association (PSA).

Meat inspection is currently carried out by independent inspectors from state owned enterprise AsureQuality.

NZFSA are conducting a trial that includes three meat processing facilities inspecting their own meat.

'Meat companies are primarily interested in maximising profits and cutting costs.

'Allowing them to inspect their own product is absurd and will fail to protect consumers' health and the high quality reputation New Zealand meat has overseas,” says PSA National Secretary Richard Wagstaff.

Alliance Mataura, Affco Imlay and Silver Fern Farms Pareora will take part in the trial which is part of government's push to get the export industry into line with global best practices, says NZFSA acting deputy director-general (food safety) Carol Barnao.

'The general thrust of the trial is to create a situation where industry takes more responsibility for suitability issues.

'A number of trading partner countries share this approach and, on several aspects of meat hygiene, trials are progressing in Australia, the USA, UK and EU,” says Carol

However, Richard says independent meat inspectors are already resented by meat companies for carrying out their role.

'If much of that role is given over to company workers the power of inspectors to pull potentially contaminated and diseased meat from a production line is greatly reduced,” says Richard.

'Meat inspectors are working in the best interests of all parties: farmers who send their stock to be processed can be assured that it will be inspected and if necessary trimmed with integrity and overseas the quality and independence of our inspection process makes New Zealand meat a trusted high quality brand.”

PSA members who work as meat inspectors for AsureQuality are considering a boycott of the trials.

Export markets like the European Union insist on meat inspection being carried out by independent government officials says the PSA, who questions if overseas markets have even been alerted to the NZFSA's plans to change inspection practices.

The NZFSA's director of market access Tony Zohrab says the trials are part of a push to align the export meat sector with global best-practice of meat hygiene.

'This is misleading and defies logic as this initiative can only result in a reduction in quality of meat inspections and meat products,” says Richard.

Carol says that meat will continue to undergo food safety inspection by government officials during the trial, and into the foreseeable future no matter the outcome of the trial.

NZFSA says their current quality and food safety performance criteria will be applied continuously during the trials. Extra controls by onsite NZFSA staff will be put in place during the trial to ensure continued safety and suitability of product.

Trial results will be fully evaluated before any proposals to change current requirements for sheep and lamb inspections are made.