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The poultry industry insists it is still safe to buy chicken off the supermarket shelf after the enforced closure of a processing plant over hygiene issues.
And the nationwide supply of chicken is not likely to be greatly affected after the closure of the Invercargill processor Brinks Chicken which supplies 400 customers, including some supermarkets.
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) ordered the plant's closure after concerns about hygiene at the plant from inspections in recent months.
NZFSA spokesman Chris Mawson said enforced closures did not happen often, but the authority had sufficient cause in the Brinks case.
The plant had failed to live up to procedures relating to hygiene, staff skills and abilities, and controls over those issues.
The plant would be out of action until it came up with an acceptable plan to fix the situation, Mr Mawson said.
There are concerns about fresh chicken because of the risk of it carrying campylobacter bacteria. The bacteria cause food poisoning and, on average, up to three people die from it each year.
Brinks Chicken chief executive Matthew Van Den Brink said there was no risk to public health following the closure.
"Consumers should continue to have confidence in our products," he said.
"We intend to work with the NZFSA to resolve the issues that have been raised."
The Invercargill plant accounted for about 1 per cent of New Zealand's poultry production, so its closure will have little impact on supply.
During the closure the plant's 23 full-time and 31 part-time employees would be undergoing training or would be on reduced hours.
Michael Brooks, of the Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand, said the issues identified at the Invercargill plant were not normal in the industry.
The industry supported the NZFSA's action because consumer protection and high standards of hygiene and processing practice were "an absolute priority".
