Damien

O’CONNOR

Primary Industries Spokesperson
4 September 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT

Fonterra report: Central question unresolved

Fonterra’s admission that its systems failed to prevent and deal adequately with the contamination is the first step in preventing a similar debacle in the future but leaves the prime question unanswered, says Labour’s Primary Industries Damien O’Connor.

“The review finds there were mistakes at every level. The fact is that because of Fonterra’s size, the success of every food exporter depends on Fonterra ensuring it has the right systems in place.

“The central question of why Ministry of Primary Industries wasn’t informed earlier remains unresolved. We expect future inquiries to examine the relationship between MPI as regulator and Fonterra as the major company in the sector.

“The other inquiries will hopefully provide clarification on the confusion between the testing results from AgResearch and later offshore testing. We cannot afford to have New Zealand’s reputation as a food producer tarnished by poor quality systems.

“The National Government has to ensure that MPI has the resources to properly oversee and certify our food exports,” says Damien O’Connor.

ENDS

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