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Food Focus November 2007

Britain’s back paddock

In his book No News is Good News, author and former NZFSA Animal Products Programme Manager Derek Robinson charts the history of the New Zealand meat hygiene service which, for over a century, has reliably managed the public health risks posed by met and fish products, and assured their access to foreign markets – a task of huge economic significance. In our occasional series of excerpts, Derek recounts the years from 1908 to the early 1920s

A Slaughtering and Inspection Act replaced the 1900 Act in 1908. It strengthened disease control powers and required non-veterinarians to pass an examination held by a government veterinarian to qualify for appointment as inspectors. John Gilruth [former chief veterinary officer] considered the proposed new Act inadequate.

The law allowed bona fide pig farmers to kill animals ‘on farm’ and sell them to butchers and bacon factories (dubbed the ‘town pig dispensation’). Eventually, a form of inspection was introduced but it was haphazard and diseased animals were often found in butchers’ shops. The butcher’s duty was to call an inspector to inspect and stamp them, but viscera were not available so full inspection was impossible. Any carcass showing a TB (or similar) lesion was automatically condemned.

Over the next 30 years, politicians – with farmers’ votes in mind – would repeatedly resist advice by officials that they should remove this privilege in the interests of public health.

Veterinary representation in Britain

There were problems in London, where refrigerated storage was expensive and badly organised, causing delays. Returning New Zealanders reported seeing rough treatment of frozen carcasses and there was a suspicion that inferior products from other countries were being passed off as New Zealand meat.

Following a report on the situation, Alex Crabb MRCVS, who had recently served as veterinary officer, Christchurch, was appointed special veterinary representative and inspector in Great Britain.

His duties included checking the standard of the products arriving in Europe, investigating complaints, advising on the animal disease status of European countries and assisting in opening up new markets. He also inspected all livestock exported to New Zealand from Britain.

Everything in the garden is …

New Zealand was entering an era of expanding prosperity and there was increased self-confidence. A 1910 document, primarily aimed at assuring British readers, was a great example of the salesmanship of the time. In abridged form it read:

Great Britain imports from New Zealand have been for some time subjected to a system of compulsory inspection which is claimed to be as rigid as, if not more rigid than, that in any meat producing country.

Meat exported from New Zealand is guaranteed by a staff of qualified government inspectors to be healthy and fit for human food.

Each carcass, along with its internal organs, is examined for disease immediately after slaughter. Carcasses found to be diseased or suspected of being unhealthy or unfit for human food are immediately destroyed, the compensation (of owners) being sufficiently liberal to remove any temptation to evade the laws.

There is very little serious disease. The colony is entirely free from such disorders as pleuropneumonia and foot and mouth disease. Virtually the only disease in cattle is tuberculosis of a minor character, and one or two lesser ailments.

1910–20

John Gilruth’s resignation took effect in December 1907 and Dr CJ (Charles) Reakes DSc MRCVS took his place as head of the Livestock and Meat Division (as it was now known). Staff numbers grew as he continued the pattern established by Gilruth.

The availability of veterinarians for meat hygiene duties was limited to say the least. Within his district the veterinarian was expected to train and supervise the activities of other departmental staff, including livestock officers and meat inspectors. He carried out general disease surveillance, implemented and supervised specific eradication procedures, and investigated particular animal health events. On top of that he advised farms on animal husbandry and provided such clinical veterinary services as he could manage.

When World War I began in 1914, the British government contracted to buy all our meat under a scheme known as the ‘Commandeer’ and farmers responded promptly. Canning was also stepped up to provide for the armed forces, but wartime shipping difficulties meant ever-increasing quantities of frozen meat were put into store.

Alex Adam, a Boer War and Gallipoli veteran provided the earliest account we have of the meat hygiene service in those days. He joined as an AMI (Assistant Meat Inspector) at Timaru abattoir in 1916. A year later he was transferred to Taits canning works at Woodlands (near Invercargill) where they canned sheep and rabbit meat for export. His duties included inspecting the dairies that provided town milk and examining the pig carcasses (the so-called ‘town pigs’) that farmers supplied to bacon-curing establishments. He used a bicycle for transport and had a bicycle allowance of ten shillings a month (“and I earned it”, he said).

Meat Producers Board formed

By the time the British government’s wartime buying contract ended in June 1920 there was more meat available than the market could handle. As prices tumbled and costs rose, farmers began to call for action to coordinate and stabilise the meat export industry.

A long and intense political debate (initiated by Prime Minister William Massey) culminated in the Meat Export Control Act 1922 and the creation of the New Zealand Meat Producers Board.

The new Board’s powers included: control of all export meat; prohibiting or limited exports; imposing levies; negotiating shipping contracts; laying down conditions on grading, handling, storage, and insurance; and making “any arrangements that are considered necessary for the sale and disposal of New Zealand meat”.

This had the potential to create conflict with the Department of Agriculture’s functions but, for the most part, the two organisations operated independently of each other through the 1920s and ‘30s without friction.

Meat hygiene in the 1920s

When AR Young retired in 1924, J Lyons MRCVS took over the helm of the Livestock Division. There was a shortage of inspectors at the time, yet during Lyons’s tenure meat inspection was hardly mentioned in the annual reports. Clearly, animal health was his major focus rather than meat hygiene.

Probably the first New Zealander to train as a veterinarian was DH (Horrie) le Souef. He described his first day at work (in 1923) after graduating from the University of Melbourne:

My first job was at the Wellington abattoir and Mr Hough MRCVS took me there and showed me the rudiments of meat inspection.

After two or three months I was considered to know enough to be installed as a veterinarian at Gear (Petone). In the season Gear works killed over 9000 sheep and lambs per day and about 90 bodies of beef per tackle. Carcasses were hand-sawn using a two-handled crosscut saw.

All mutton was solo killed with a fast [board] and a learner’s board with scales and a grader on each. One had to do one’s best to mind both scales when beef was being killed. In addition, on one morning per week ‘town pigs’ had to be inspected in the local butcher shops (this was a routine task for abattoir inspectors until 1938).

No News is Good News is available from NZFSA for $25, to order a copy, phone 0800 693 721.