Obligations under the Biosecurity Act 1993 were reinforced to food retailers as Ministry of Primary Industries' officers conducted a two day operation targeting black market meat and black market fish in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions.

The operation took part in the greater Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Coromandel regions on August 14 and 15.

Farms were among the sites visited during the two day operation.

Operation Nevada saw more than 50 officers visit multiple sale yards across Waikato to liaise with farmers and other stakeholders and ensure compliance with the Animal Welfare Act 1999 and National Animal Identification and Tracing requirements.

A number of visits to farms were carried out for the animal welfare part of the operation reinforcing codes of welfare.

Compliance manager Brendon Mikkelsen says officers found high levels of compliance across the sectors.

'The operation was a great success, not only in terms of compliance but as an opportunity to demonstrate the wide range of compliance work undertaken by MPI.

'It also provided the chance for some members of the team to experience working in a sector area new to them.”

More than 120 food premises operating as ‘Dealers in Fish' were inspected during the operation.

MPI officers checked compliance in relation to Fisheries Record-keeping regulations, which are an essential part of the Quota Management System (QMS), ensuring legality of the fish for sale at premises. Officers also checked compliance in relation to the Animal Products Act 1999 to ensure the legitimacy of other animal products on site.

A number of butcher shops and home kill operators in the region were also visited.

'Many people are unaware of the scope of expertise our compliance officers are required to have in dealing with such a diverse range of Acts and associated regulations – including but by no means restricted to Fisheries, Biosecurity, Animal Products, and Animal Welfare.”

Brendan says MPI relies on information from within industry and the public to ensure compliance across the wide range of activities we monitor.

'If anyone has any information that they think MPI should know about, we encourage them to contact us. All information will be treated in confidence.”