The New Zealand Food Safety Authority has responded quickly to claims by the Public Service Association that trial in-house meat inspections at freezing works aren’t working.

AFFCO’s Imlay plant at Whanganui started the trial on Monday.

NZFSA Acting Deputy Director Carol Barnao says the process is still being overseen by experienced inspectors.

“What we are looking at is saying for food safety issues there needs to be meat inspectors on plants.  

"Non-food safety issues, of which they are quality issues, the trial is looking at how companies can take greater responsibility for those non-food safety elements.”

She says the PSA is also mistaken in claiming the US is refusing imports from plants trialling the new system.

“The trial has been talked with all our trading partners about. The details of the trial everyone’s obviously interested in.

"The US are very supportive of what we’re doing and longer term we expect they’ll make a judgement call in terms of the success of the trial.”