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Movement controls have been lifted from Mainland Poultry’s Hillgrove Farm in Otago, after the successful eradication of H7N6 strain of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) says Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) chief veterinary officer Dr Mary Van Andel.

When HPAI H7N6 was detected in poultry at the property in early December, the Ministry for Primary Industries moved swiftly to stamp out the virus.

“While there is still work to be done, the lifting of movement controls is a significant milestone in the response and means that Mainland Poultry can begin the process of returning to business,” says Dr van Andel.

“We’re grateful to Mainland Poultry, which did the right thing in notifying us as soon as an exotic disease was suspected and for working with us in partnership to successfully stamp out this disease.”

MPI immediately put strict movement controls on the property to prevent goods or anything else that might be carrying the virus leaving the property.

Dr van Andel says more than 5,600 tests were carried out on samples from poultry and wild birds, including from 36 flocks across 5 farms linked to Mainland’s Hillgrove property. HPAI was not found anywhere other than Hillgrove, giving confidence that the disease had been contained and stamped out.

Chickens on the farm were humanely euthanised and disposed of in a secure landfill, along with eggs, litter and manure from the farm. This was followed by an extensive cleaning and disinfection process.

“The processes we have followed – depopulation and disposal, decontamination of the site and extensive surveillance – give us confidence that the virus has been eradicated.”

MPI staff will continue to support Mainland as the farm is repopulated.

“Good progress is being made to restore trade, with around $300 million of trade in poultry products recovered to date.”

MPI has worked with overseas government counterparts and industry partners in New Zealand to meet market requirements and has also proposed alternative assurances to some markets. MPI continues to work towards the reopening of trade for others.

Dr van Andel says testing indicates that the infection at Hillgrove is likely to have occurred after free-range laying hens foraging outside were exposed to wild birds with a low pathogenicity (LPAI) virus strain, which then mutated in the hens to become HPAI.

“This is the first time such an event in New Zealand has been documented and our first case of HPAI. We’ve learned a lot from this response that will help us to prepare for HPAI H5N1 if it spreads here.”

Read more about the latest update at our website: A strain of bird flu (H7N6) in Otago

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

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New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Pendarves Ltd in its recall of a specific range of imported frozen anchovies due to the presence of a marine biotoxin.

“Testing of the product has found the presence of domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by certain algae that can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans,” says New Zealand Food Safety’s acting deputy director-general Claire McDonald.

“These products should not be eaten. You can return them to the place of purchase for a refund. If that’s not possible, throw it out.”

The affected products were sold at a small number of supermarkets and specialty stores.

Visit New Zealand Food Safety’s recall page for up-to-date information and photographs of the affected product.

Food recall: Imported whole frozen anchovies

New Zealand Food Safety has not received any notifications of associated illness.

Symptoms are mainly gastrointestinal, especially at low toxin levels. These usually appear within 24 hours of eating and may include vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps.

In more serious cases there can be neurological symptoms. These can take up to 3 days to develop and can range from headaches and dizziness to memory loss and, for severe cases, coma.

If you have consumed any of this product and are concerned for your health, contact your health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free advice.

The products have been removed from store shelves and have not been exported.

The vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, but sometimes problems can occur. Help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts.

Information on how to subscribe is on the New Zealand Food Safety food recall page.

More information about illness caused by algae, including amnesic shellfish poisoning, can be found on our website.

What is toxic shellfish poisoning?

For general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

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Controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the Auckland North Shore suburb of Birkdale have been lifted after no further evidence of the Oriental fruit fly was found in the area, says Mike Inglis, Biosecurity New Zealand commissioner North.

The decision to end the operation follows 7 weeks of intensive fruit fly trapping and inspections of hundreds of kilograms of fruit.

Mr Inglis thanked residents and businesses in the affected area for their support of the movement controls, keeping an eye out for fruit flies, and safely disposing of fruit in provided bins.

“Getting to this point wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the North Shore community. I can’t stress enough how vital this work has been to protect our horticulture sector.

“We are satisfied that with no further detections, the Controlled Area Notice restrictions can be lifted, and response operations closed.”

The biosecurity wheelie bins that have dotted the neighbourhood will now be removed and road signs will be dismantled.

“Our nationwide routine surveillance will continue with our system of nearly 8,000 fruit fly traps spread across the country and more than 4,600 of these in the Auckland area. These traps are set for 3 exotic fruit fly species of concern: the Queensland fruit fly, Mediterranean fruit fly, and Oriental fruit flies.”

Mr Inglis says Biosecurity New Zealand staff will be out in the community today, handing out flyers about the response closure and personally thanking residents and business owners for their contribution to the effort.

“I’d also like to acknowledge the good work of our people and our partners across the horticulture sector. By working together, and responding quickly, we have managed this situation well.”

Key figures

• More than 2,000 individual visits were made to check the 116 fruit fly traps in the Birkdale area throughout the response.
• Over 470 biosecurity bins were distributed in the community to collect produce waste for safe disposal.
• More than 954kg of fruit were collected and examined for any signs of fruit fly eggs or larvae.
• More than 70 Biosecurity New Zealand staff were involved throughout the response.

For further information and general enquiries, email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

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Update – 16 April 2025

Ms Liu was resentenced on 16 April 2025 at the Christchurch District Court.

The summary of facts before the sentencing judge was the incorrect summary and not the summary filed by the parties. The court held that a slight reduction to the sentence was required in the interests of justice.

The home detention sentence was reduced by 2 weeks to 5 and a half months and the fine reduced by $5,000 to $15,000.

A Christchurch restauranteur has been placed on 6 months’ home detention and fined $20,000 after selling food that had been recalled.

In November last year, Xinchen Liu, the owner of Samurai Bowl in Colombo Street, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Food Act for trading in food that was subject to a recall because of unsafe levels of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria being found in some frozen meals.

Ms Liu was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court yesterday (April 8 2025) following a successful prosecution by New Zealand Food Safety.

“The bacteria found in the food can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea. The consequences can be serious for people with compromised immune systems,” says Jenny Bishop, New Zealand Food Safety acting deputy director-general.

“Food recalls are conducted to protect consumers from potential harm. People rightly expect food businesses sell food that is safe and suitable.”

A verifier observed routine testing results undertaken by the business, which found unsafe levels of the bacteria S. aureus in samples of frozen ramen meals.

MPI’s New Zealand Food Safety was notified, as required under the Food Act. The bacteria find led to a recall on 1 June 2019 of all frozen Samurai Bowl ramen meals made since Ms Liu had taken over the business.

Ms Liu confirmed the recall had gone ahead, providing evidential pictures to food safety officers and the recall was closed off in August that year by New Zealand Food Safety.

“Most people do the right thing, but Ms Liu didn’t do as she claimed and stored the meals in freezers. Some of them were defrosted and made available to staff.

“Miso soup and meat from recalled meals was also served to customers at her restaurant.

“This was deliberate and reckless behaviour and Ms Liu’s actions had potential to cause sickness and health risk for a number of customers,” Ms Bishop says.

Ms Liu received the 6 months’ home detention for both the food safety charge and another unrelated matter.

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

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A Woodville farmer has been banned from owning or being in charge of farm animals and placed on 6 months community detention over a lack of food and welfare that led to 55 sheep being euthanised and others suffering.

Noel Thomas Cunningham (64) was sentenced (7 April 2025) in the Palmerston North District on 3 charges he pleaded guilty to under the Animal Welfare Act, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

“When animal welfare inspectors visited the farm, they found infrastructure including fencing and water reticulation, particularly on the 40-hectare sheep block, showed maintenance and management had been lacking for some time. Most of the sheep fences were not stock proof and pasture was tired and indicative of poor grazing management.  An open fronted shed containing multiple sheep carcasses, along with shallow graves in an adjacent paddock indicated a history of poor care and management of the sheep,” says MPI manager animal welfare and NAIT compliance central, Gray Harrison.

“Many of the existing sheep were underweight and displaying signs of lice infestation, and some had to be euthanised to prevent further stress and suffering.

“This level of neglect is unacceptable. When we find evidence of it, we will take action.”

An MPI animal welfare inspector and 2 veterinarians inspected a total of 322 animals. They found 25 recently dead sheep and a number of dead newborn lambs. 55 sheep had to be euthanised because they were so thin and affected by parasites. 90 ewes that were also very thin were not euthanised because it would have compromised the health of their lambs, and the welfare needs of 179 other sheep were not being met.

“Mr Cunningham was an experienced farmer, yet we found no evidence of sheep management or routine husbandry being carried out. Some of the sheep that died were found near water courses, stuck in mud and at various stages of decomposition. Most farmers do the right thing for their animals. Mr Cunningham failed the basics – providing quality feed and good access to water, along with timely care,” says Gray Harrison.

Animal welfare is everyone’s responsibility and MPI strongly encourages any member of the public who is aware of animal ill-treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 00 83 33.

For further information and general enquiries, email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

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A Rangitikei farmer has been jailed for 28 months and banned from being in charge of farm animals indefinitely over the preventable deaths of lambs and sheep.

Peter James Valentine (63) was sentenced in the Taihape District Court today, on 12 charges under the Animal Welfare Act, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). Three of these charges were wilful ill treatment of animals – the highest level under the Act. Along with the prison sentence, Mr Valentine was ordered to pay $10,710 in costs for veterinary services and mustering fees.

“All farmers or people in charge of animals are responsible for the welfare of their animals at all times. This includes providing quality feed and timely veterinarian attention. A lot of animals died from being afflicted with flystrike and other parasites. Most farmers do the right thing for their animals, but Mr Valentine failed to live up to this responsibility,” says MPI regional manager Animal Welfare and NAIT Compliance, Gray Harrison.

When animal welfare inspectors visited Mr Valentine’s Taihape property they found 24 dead lambs and 3 others that had to be euthanised. The remaining 173 lambs were affected by parasites, flystrike, emaciation and were generally too small in size. They found the pasture the animals were grazing on was unsuitable for their nutritional and welfare needs.

Peter Valentine is an experienced farmer and farms about 2,360 hectares across 6 hill country properties. He claimed to have recently drenched the lambs when MPI intervened, but a veterinary report following postmortem examination found most lambs died from significant gastrointestinal parasitism, concluding the animals could not have been drenched.

A later follow up inspection of Mr Valentine’s 5 other properties found a similar situation, with a number of sheep suffering from flystrike, 6 of which had to be euthanised. He was advised, provided written warnings, and directed under the Animal Welfare Act to crutch (dagging) all lambs, treat fly struck sheep, dip all lambs, and shear and dip all ewes, to manage a growing flystrike problem.

“We returned within 2 weeks and found very little had been done to improve the welfare of his animals, finding 18 dead sheep and 4 others that had to be euthanised because they were suffering from severe flystrike.

“These animals were subjected to unreasonable distress and pain because of a failure by Mr Valentine to properly address the welfare of his animals by ensuring effective parasite controls were in place. The death of these animals was entirely avoidable,” says Gray Harrison.

Mr Valentine was also directed to dehorn his cattle because of the threat of ingrown horns. It took 2 notices of direction before he dehorned a steer that had a horn growing into its face, causing the animal pain and distress.

A further inspection at Mr Valentine’s properties found 57 recently dead lambs caused by a lack of nutrition and parasite problems.

“Our message to those farmers who do not take appropriate action to care for their animals is that we will take action in the interest of the animals and where appropriate place the matter before the court,” says MPI regional manager Animal Welfare and NAIT Compliance, Gray Harrison.

Animal welfare is everyone’s responsibility and MPI strongly encourages any member of the public who is aware of animal ill-treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 008 333.

For further information and general enquiries, email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

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New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Foodstuffs Own Brands Limited in its recall of Pams brand Afghan Oat Baked Bars as the product may contain foreign matter (metal).

“The concern with these oat bars is that some metal from manufacturing equipment may have got into the product during the production process,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.

“If you have any Pams brand Afghan Oat Baked Bars with a Best Before of ’16/01/2026′ don’t eat it. You can return it to the place of purchase for a refund. If that’s not possible, throw it out.”

The affected products are sold at Four Square, Gilmours, New World, Pak’nSave, Social Supermarket, and Trents nationwide.

The products have been removed from store shelves and have not been exported.

For up-to-date information and photographs of the affected product, visit:

Pams brand Afghan Oat Baked Bars

New Zealand Food Safety has not received any notifications of associated injury. 

“As is our usual practice, New Zealand Food Safety will work with Foodstuffs Own Brands Limited to understand how this happened and prevent its recurrence,” says Mr Arbuckle.

The vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, but sometimes problems can occur.  Help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts. Information on how to subscribe is on the New Zealand Food Safety food recall page. 

Recalled food products list