新西兰乳业受到投毒威胁 中国加大进口奶粉检测力度

　　新西兰警方周一(3月10日)证实，正在调查一起威胁新西兰奶粉行业食品安全的事件。这一事件使食品出口国新西兰的声誉再一次处于风险之中。

　　新西兰警方称，新西兰全国农民协会与恒天然(Fonterra)乳品集团，去年11月接到恐吓信，威胁政府如不在今年3月底前，禁止使用用来毒杀负鼠的农药1080(氟醋酸钠)，将会在婴儿配方奶粉及其它奶制品中加入此一有毒物质。

　　新西兰政府表示，自从得知有不明人士威胁将在婴儿奶粉与乳品中下毒后，相关单位已经进行过4万多次的检测，但并未发现任何异常。受投毒威胁事件影响，纽元一度从0.7358跌至五周低点0.7229.

　　中国国家质量监督检验检疫总局表示，正在加大对从新西兰进口的奶粉的检查力度；并且从新西兰进口的乃峰必须有中国政府的检验证书和进口商的检测报告来证明其不含1080.

　　中国是新西兰最大的奶制品进口国，每年进口额高达140亿纽元(100亿美元).

　　Baby Formula Poison Threat Deals N.Z. Image Another Blow (2)

　　By Matthew Brockett and Tracy Withers

　　(Bloomberg) -- New Zealands reputation as a clean， safe food exporter is again at risk after police said they are investigating a threat to poison baby formula.

　　Letters sent to Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd。， the worlds biggest dairy exporter， and Federated Farmers of New Zealand in November threatened to contaminate baby formula with the pesticide 1080 unless the government stopped using it by the end of this month， police said in Wellington on Tuesday. Tests of more than 40,000 samples had found no trace of the poison， the government said.

　　The threat comes after a botulism scare in 2013 prompted a global recall of some Fonterra products and an import ban by China until it was proved to be a false alarm. Dairy is New Zealands largest foreign exchange earner， accounting for 29 percent of overseas sales in an economy where exports make up about a third of output.

　　“While a threat is a long way from reality， the mere hint highlights the importance of New Zealand‘s food safety regime，” said Cameron Bagrie， chief economist at ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd. in Wellington. “The coming month will be critical and will depend on the extent to which foreign competitors play up the development， with a view to undermining New Zealand’s reputation and market credentials。”

　　The New Zealand dollar dropped to a five-week low of 72.57 U.S. cents on the news. It bought 72.73 cents at 10:45 a.m. in Wellington.

　　Eco-Terrorism

　　Prime Minister John Key labelled the poison threat “eco-terrorism” and said the probability of it being carried out was “extremely low。”

　　He defended the more than three-month delay in going public with the threat， telling Radio New Zealand on Wednesday the police investigation could have been impeded by earlier disclosure.

　　“We wanted to be able to tell consumers with confidence that the products were safe，” Key said. “And of course the threat in the letter said that we had until the end of March to change our use of 1080。”

　　Trade partners including China were informed in February and have been briefed on the steps New Zealand manufacturers and the government were taking， Scott Gallacher， deputy director-general of the Ministry for Primary Industries， said at a news conference Wednesday.

　　China Scrutiny

　　China‘s General Administration of Quality Supervision， Inspection and Quarantine said it is stepping up scrutiny of imported New Zealand milk powder. It must have a government certificate and an importers’ examination report to prove it doesnt contain 1080， the agency said on its website.

　　New Zealand markets itself internationally as a “100% Pure” food exporter and tourist destination. The slogan has been called into question by Chinas official news agency Xinhua， which said in 2013 that buyers of Kiwi goods were losing faith in its clean， green image.

　　China is the biggest customer for New Zealand dairy exports， which are worth NZ$14 billion ($10 billion) a year.

　　“We can fully assure our customers and consumers that all of our milk and products are safe and of high quality， and our supply chain continues to be secure and world-class，” Fonterra said in a statement.

　　Shares in the Fonterra Shareholders‘ Fund， a publicly traded trust that tracks the cooperative’s dividend payout and earnings， rose 3 cents to NZ$5.83 at 10:35 a.m. in Wellington. They fell as much as 1.2 percent to NZ$5.78 yesterday.

　　Synlait Milk Ltd。， 39 percent owned by Chinas Bright Dairy & Food Co。， extended its decline， falling 1.7 percent to the lowest since August 2013.

　　Nothing Unusual

　　New Zealand‘s Financial Markets Authority said Wednesday it hadn’t detected any unusual dairy-related trading in recent months. The regulator has no reason to believe last weeks 13-percent drop in whole milk powder futures traded on the NZX was connected to the poison threat， it said in an e-mailed response to questions.

　　The anonymous letter writer threatened to contaminate infant and other formula with 1080 and make their demand public unless New Zealand stopped using the pesticide by the end of this month， police said. The letters were accompanied by small packages of milk powder that subsequently tested positive for the presence of a concentrated form of 1080.

　　Supermarket Limits

　　Supermarket owner Foodstuff New Zealand imposed a limit of two cans of baby formula per person to ensure product is available to all customers， it said on its website. Shoppers will be subject to heightened surveillance and extra security measures are in place to safeguard the goods， it said.

　　Animal rights groups such as the World League for Protection of Animals say 1080， or sodium monofluroacetate， which is used in New Zealand to control pests such as rats and opossums， causes a slow and horrific death.

　　Bill Wallace， co-leader of the Ban-1080 political party， said he doesn‘t know who’s responsible for the threat and labeled the protest “crude” and “totally inappropriate。”

　　“This to me is over-the-top， endangering New Zealand‘s whole exports，” he told NZ Newswire. “The reason I formed a political party was so people could protest by ticking a box every three years and that’s a pretty harmless protest. But to me， this is just radical。”

　　Key said the government would not stop using 1080， without which native birds such as the flightless kiwi “would be extinct in 50 years。”

　　Every measure has been taken to protect the food system and we are advised its extr