Scott Lynda: Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill — First Reading 
Scott Lynda: Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:618;Page:14228] 
Dr LYNDA SCOTT (National—Kaikoura) 
: 
 The Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill is one of food safety which is why I am speaking on it today. The National Party will be supporting this bill. As the Minister has just said wide consultation has been undertaken and that consultation began under the National Government in 1999. The dairy industry is supportive of the changes that are being made that change the regulation by repealing the Dairy Industry Act and bringing the regulations of the dairy industry under the Animal Products Act. 
I suppose it is interesting to look back at the history of food safety when it relates to dairy industry products. If we turn our minds back to the past and to the fact that cattle and dairy products can pass on TB we recall that it was back in those days that we began the pasteurisation of milk. TB in animals is a major cause of disability and death for people in many parts of the world and those parts of the world that do not have pasteurisation which was one of the first steps in improving food safety still have the spread of TB via that role. So we must not forget how important it is to have good risk-management processes and the types of processes that will ensure our dairy products can reach international markets. 
There was a scare last year over retroviruses. It is very damaging to New Zealand’s reputation when such misinformation occurs. Retroviruses can be found in cattle but they do not infect humans. They are killed by pasteurisation and processing. So to maintain our $5.8 billion export market we do need to have appropriate risk-management programmes. Milk is a highly nutritious food but it is also an excellent growth medium for bacteria. Raw milk has the potential to transfer zoonotic diseases and milk handling procedures must minimise the associated health risks and we must not forget that. Milk will contain residues of veterinary medicines if the milk from treated animals is not appropriately withheld and quality assurance programmes must address the quality issues and the risks presented by pathogens and residues. 
Safety and quality assurance programmes for milk and dairy products must cover the whole dairy chain from the farm to the table and this new legislation will be looking at that. Processing and proper subsequent handling are the most critical steps to ensure safety of products. The processing of milk into a range of dairy products which usually involves heat treatment improves both shelf life and safety while acidification retards growth of most bacteria. Some pathogens can survive in fermented milks made from raw milk and can present a risk to human health. Fresh cheeses made from raw milk present similar risks but hard cheeses made from raw milk and stored for periods in excess of 1 month are normally free of pathogens. New Zealand does have a markedly growing cheese manufacturing industry and I have to say that I am sure all of us in this House have enjoyed some of the wonderful new cheeses that are available from all parts of New Zealand. 
Post-processing handling and packaging procedures must avoid post-pasteurisation contamination. So from the dairy shed through to our export markets it is essential that we maintain our world standing and the billions that we do make in export. It is important that hormones antibiotics and pesticides that can contaminate our milk products are handled appropriately and do not pose a safety risk. This bill will be supported by the National Party.