Christchurch Samoan church member fined after illegally storing pork for church fundraiser

Aso Lino Mika, 51, felt under pressure from her Samoan church in Christchurch to help store a fundraiser's pork at her dairy.

A church fundraiser turned sour after blood from slaughtered pigs destined to be made into money-making meals splattered on other food products at a dairy where they were being stored.

Aso Lino Mika, 51, felt under pressure from her Samoan church in Christchurch to help store the pork at her Stanmore Rd dairy, Faithful Daez.

The church had bought 19 pigs and had them slaughtered by two other church members at their homes who are now under investigation for allegedly processing them without proper authorisation or registrations.

The carcasses and cuts were taken to Mika who had reluctantly agreed to store them in her dairy's freezer.

But when inspectors called on her last November, they found blood splatter from the pork on other "legitimately processed and supplied products" in the freezer.

Mika was charged by the Ministry for Primary Industries under the Animal Products Act.

Today at Christchurch District Court, defence counsel Grant Tyrrell said there was no evidence of cross contamination and other food for sale was found properly wrapped.

He said that Mika had been under "some pressure from the church to assist" with freezing the pork which was to be made into meals for charity sale.

Judge Raoul Neave convicted Mika and ordered her to pay $6750 in fines.

The court heard that the church had not offered to help Mika pay her fines.