An egg and poultry processor from Levin has been fined $16,000 for operating without a registered risk management programme in the face of repeated warnings from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.
Graham Joseph Henry, who owns and operates Henry Poultry, pleaded guilty at Levin District Court this month to three charges under the Animal Products Act.
Judge Atkins fined him $3,000 for operating without a risk management programme, $10,000 for selling non-compliant product and a further $3,000 for failing to comply with a statutory notice of direction.
The Food Safety Authority says it gave the poultry processor several opportunities to comply with his legal obligation to adopt a registered risk management programme, and seized product on two occasions.
The agency's assistant director Justin Rowlands says it was the first prosecution brought in the poultry industry for this sort of offence.
He says the fine sends a clear message to operators that that they cannot flout the law, which is there to protect public health.
