PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Libertarianz Says No to New Food Quango

"Proposals to set up yet another regulatory Quango - this time to regulate food - will result in yet another uncontrollable organisation of paper-pushing authoritarian blowhards," says Libertarianz Food Deregulation Spokesman Peter Cresswell.

Until total food deregulation is made possible, the preferred short-term solution would be to retain food safety within MAF," he says, giving the following reasons.

1. Parts of the food industry are already taking responsibility for their own standards. The NZ Ice Cream Manufacturers Association has for instance already written its own code of standards, which have been accepted by MAF.

2. The new Animal Products Act will have a wide impact on food manufacturers and will be administered by MAF - at least until industry wrestles responsibility away.. More bureaucracy will mean even more bureaucratic bickering.

3. Many MAF employees are - while not business friendly - more quality / HACCP / business orientated than the health department inspectors, and are more accommodating to the concept of self-regulation.

4. There is already excessive duplication between MAF and the Ministry of Health, without exacerbating this problem by introducing another Quango.

While a government authority for the export of primary products is still required by many countries we export to (to provide written declaration that the goods are free of foot and mouth and so on) I am happy that industry is quietly undertaking regulatory authority for itself.

In the meantime, and until complete deregulation takes place, I would prefer to see MAF retain responsibility for food control, rather than see yet another Quango created. It means there's less to abolish.

ENDS

For more information contact:
Peter Cresswell
LIBERTARIANZ SPOKESMAN FOR DEREGULATION OF FOOD
Contact Libertarianz Media Coordinator, on (025) 861 927,e-mail: organon@ihug.co.nz

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