Otago Daily Times

PM advised Covid covered items in China ‘not NZ beef’

- BEN MCKAY

WELLINGTON: The meat industry is waiting to find out if there is any truth to the report that New Zealand meat is linked to a coolstore in China where Covid19 has been found on packaging.

The virus was apparently found on more than 3500 products in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan, in Shandong province.

Apart from saying where the products originated, Chinese authoritie­s have not named the companies that shipped them.

Reuters reported yesterday coronaviru­s was found on beef and tripe products and packaging that originated from Brazil, Bolivia and New Zealand in Jinan in Shandong province.

Speaking

on

TVNZ1’s

Breakfast yesterday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was looking into the report after ‘‘being advised it’s not our beef’’.

‘‘We’ve been advised that’s Argentinia­n beef, so we’re just trying to get to the bottom of what’s been reported there . . .

‘‘But to this point I’ve been advised it’s not our beef, but we’ll keep working away on that.’’

China had made similar detections previously from other countries as it increased testing on frozen goods in an attempt to stop Covid19 from coming into the country.

China has now suspended imports of frozen goods from some countries with clusters of the coronaviru­s.

New Zealand is not on that list at this stage. — RNZ

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