AsureQuality Limited

AsureQuality Opens Office and Laboratory in Singapore

10 March 2010

AsureQuality Limited, a New Zealand Government State-Owned Enterprise, has established AsureQuality Singapore Pte Ltd to support and grow its customer base in the Asia and Middle East region. As part of the business it will be opening a 5000 square ft laboratory facility which will offer both food chemistry and microbiology testing with an emphasis on dairy nutritional testing.

With the recruitment of key personnel, purchase and validation of equipment, and set up of quality and management systems now complete, the site will open for business in April 2010.

Udit Singh, Group Manager Laboratories and Diagnostics said that AsureQuality has been working in Singapore and the region for many years at both regulatory and industry levels. "We have worked hard to build up a network of relationships, and increased capacity and expanded testing regimes in our New Zealand laboratories so we can deliver a more efficient and comprehensive service," says Singh.

"Establishing a laboratory in the area was the next logical step. This allows us to maintain and develop our customer base and improve our service delivery through quicker sample turn-around times."

Ms Thien Kwee Eng, Director of Consumer Businesses at the Singapore Economic Development Board said that Singapore is committed to developing and strengthening its capabilities in the food and nutrition industry. "The opening of AsureQuality’s Food Chemistry and Microbiology Lab will be a boost to the food and nutrition industry in Singapore. The presence of food testing companies complements Singapore’s reputation as a trusted food hub."

Several staff from the company’s laboratory in Auckland, New Zealand, have been seconded to the new site to assist in the establishment stages.

AsureQuality is a commercial company providing food safety and biosecurity services to the food and primary production sectors. It carries out food quality and safety testing for producers, processors and Competent Authorities around the world.

For more information please contact:

Udit Singh on +64 9 573 8048 / +64 21 283 8683

Facial Eczema on the Rise

22 February 2010

Facial eczema affects stock throughout the North Island and northern South Island and costs New Zealand farmers dearly, running as high as $95 million in a bad year in the dairy sector alone.

AsureQuality has partnered with Gribble Veterinary, Agrifeeds Limited, RD1, Dairy NZ and a number of veterinary practices to produce regular eczema spore count reports for New Zealand farmers.

Farmers now have an online resource to help track facial eczema with weekly spore count reports posted on line with www.asurequality.com, and www.rd1.com/sporecounts.

As expected in this early stage of the season, rain, heavy dews, high humidity and high grass temperatures are providing the perfect weather conditions for spore development and spore counts are continuing to rise.

Areas recording the highest counts last week were Waihi, Hamilton and Horowhenua and Wairarapa in the lower North Island.

AsureQuality's facial eczema monitoring programme manager, Wayne Baxter reports that results are indicating widespread risk so all farmers in facial eczema prone areas should be taking precautions.

Preventative measures available at this stage include regular oral drenching of zinc oxide or the use of intra-ruminal long-acting boluses, treatment of water supplies and spraying pasture with fungicide.

Current research is available from Dr Chris Morris, AgResearch, Ruakura, who is working on the genetics of facial eczema resistance.

Infected animals may display signs of photosensitisation and look distressed. The first signs are often reddening and swelling of skin exposed to the sun (i.e. around the eyes, ears, lips and nose) as well as restlessness, shaking and rubbing of the head and ears, and seeking shade.

About facial eczema

Facial eczema is responsible for serious production losses with affected stock suffering liver and skin damage, which together contribute to ill-thrift, reduced fertility, reduced milk production, and in severe cases death.

Warm, humid conditions support the growth of a fungus (Pithomyces chartarum) in pasture which produces a toxin (sporidesmin) that poisons the liver. As the liver cannot get rid of phylloerythrin, a chlorophyll breakdown product, it circulates in the blood. Phylloerythrin releases energy when exposed to sunlight causing skin damage similar to severe sunburn.

Susceptible stock are cattle, sheep, deer and camelids. While the above preventative options are available as short term measures, those dairy or sheep farmers with facial eczema prone farms should consider selecting stock with resistance to facial eczema.

For further information please call:

AsureQuality Customer Services
0508 00 11 22

AsureQuality Approved by MAF to carry out Accredited Persons Training

30 November 2009

AsureQuality has been appointed by MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) as an approved training provider for Accredited Persons training.

MAFBNZ requires all sea container transitional facilities to appoint one or more Accredited Persons (AP) to be responsible for checking imported containers. Under the MAFBNZ Standard for General Transitional Facilities and the Import Health Standard for Sea Containers, an Accredited Person is required to be present when a sea container is opened to check for pests and diseases potentially harmful to New Zealand.

“AsureQuality has a long history working with MAFBNZ and a proven track record in delivering Biosecurity services. With over 450 biosecurity events behind us we believe our experience in this area will prove invaluable when delivering Accredited Persons training,” said Andrea Murray, AsureQuality Business Manager – Biosecurity.

“We will be running regular courses throughout the North and South Islands to meet the needs of those current APs wishing to renew their certificate or new people looking to become qualified. Courses have already begun in Auckland and Hamilton,” continued Andrea.

For a person to become accredited they must have undertaken and passed the MAFBNZ approved basic biosecurity awareness training course with an Approved Training Provider. Once they have passed the initial training, all Accredited Persons need to pass a refresher training course every two years.

AsureQuality is a commercial company 100 percent owned by the New Zealand government and provides food safety and biosecurity services to the food and primary production sectors. The company taps into staff and resources from across its divisions to create a team of over 300 highly-trained biosecurity professionals available on call 24/7 to respond to biosecurity emergencies. The team coordinates the delivery of response services by AsureQuality and a network of supporting organisations.

Anyone interested in AP training can contact AsureQuality Customer Services on 0508 00 11 22.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Andrea Murray – Business Manager, Biosecurity
Phone: 07 850 2887
Email: murraya@asurequality.com

AsureQuality Assessor volunteers to inspect fresh produce heading to Samoa

29th October 2009

Freud D’Souza, Senior Assessor at AsureQuality recently volunteered his time to inspect fresh produce going to tsunami victims in Samoa.

AsureQuality runs a Volunteer Day Programme which enables employees to spend a work day volunteering at a charity of their choice. Freud dedicated his day to helping the Produce Company inspect fruit and vegetables heading to a village in Samoa badly hit by the tsunami.

John Stokes, Sales Manager for the Produce Company, raised $1500 by approaching customers and suppliers for financial support, and used the money to purchase fresh produce for the Salani village people.

“Salani Surf resort is the only local employer for the Salani village people, and was wiped out by the tsunami. Over 25 people from the village worked at the resort and have now lost their jobs and homes. John has done a great job raising funds to support the purchase and transport of food and other essentials for these victims, and I was only too pleased to volunteer my time to make sure the produce met exporting criteria,” said Freud.

500kg of fresh produce was inspected by AsureQuality to meet Samoa import conditions and was shipped via Air New Zealand at reduced shipping rates. Some of the money also went towards supplying tools, clothes and first aid kits to the Village.

Award Winning Customer Service

10 September 2009

AsureQuality, the country’s leading provider of food safety and biosecurity assurance services has taken first place in the Public Services/SOE category at the annual CRM Contact Centre Awards, held at the Auckland SKYCITY Convention Centre on Friday 4 September. .

The Contact Centre Awards, run by CRM Consulting Limited, provide a ‘snap-shot’ of how New Zealand contact centres are responding to customer enquiries over the telephone and Internet. AsureQuality has been a finalist in these awards since its participation in 2003.

“It was great to see our team’s hard work recognised this year. Customer responsiveness is one of the benchmarks we use to improve our day-to-day performance so that the work we do, at every level, provides our customers with a professional service,” said National Sales and Marketing Manager Mark Inglis. This award has acknowledged our efforts in this area,” he said.

A broad range of industries participate in the awards, which celebrate the highest levels of customer service and recognise the important role it plays in how an organisation is perceived by its customers.

Ends

AsureQuality is a commercial company 100 percent owned by the New Zealand government. It provides food safety and biosecurity services to the food and primary production sectors.

Every day its team of 1700 experts, based at 140 locations throughout Australasia, works alongside customers in over 40 countries worldwide, to assure the safety and quality of food being produced for millions of people.

For further information please contact:

Mark Inglis – National Sales and Marketing Manager
Phone: 07 850 2887
Email: inglism@asurequality.com
www.asurequality.com

AsureQuality Assists Wine Exports to EU

1 October 2009

AsureQuality has been granted formal recognition by the NZFSA for analysing wines for export to the EU; and will be partnering with WineWorks to offer this and other testing services.

For a New Zealand grape wine to be eligible for export to the EU it must meet the requirements of the New Zealand Wine Act 2003, which states that it is free from ‘obvious fault’ and comes from a winery that has a fully traceable and audited record keeping system. The processes that allow an exporter to meet these requirements are administered by New Zealand Winegrowers on behalf of New Zealand Food Safety Authority. Part of the EU export certification process involves laboratory analysis of every batch of wine produced.

As of 1 October AsureQuality will offer export wine testing having met the criteria specified under the Wine Act 2003 and EU regulatory requirements. This includes IANZ 17025 accreditation.

“AsureQuality is delighted to gain this recognition. We are now able to offer the wine industry a fully integrated range of quality assurance services that also includes testing for export wine,” said Karen De Lacy, Business Development Manager – Auckland Laboratory.

“We are pleased to be partnered with WineWorks as its chosen service provider for this testing, and look forward to adding further value through the other services we can provide WineWorks and its New Zealand customers,” said Karen.

Darrell O’Brien, Plant Manager at WineWorks Marlborough Limited, said the decision to work with AsureQuality stemmed from its current relationship through certification activities and AsureQuality’s commitment to technical expertise and scientific best practice.

AsureQuality offers the wine industry a full range of training, auditing and testing services including: NZFSA Wine Verification Audits (for Wine Standards Management Plans), BRC, GLOBALGAP, True to Label Assurance, AsureQuality Organic Standard, Wine Laboratory Proficiency Programme, ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems, ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems and carboNZero certification.

AsureQuality will be partnering with WineWorks to offer the following services:
• Export wine testing to meet EU and other country requirements
• Chemical analysis
• Residue analysis
• Microbiology testing
• Allergen testing
• Forensic investigations

Ends

For more information please contact:
Karen De Lacy
Business Development Manager – Auckland Laboratory
Tel: 09 626 8200
Mobile: 021 752 083
Email: DelacyK@asurequality.com
Website: www.asurequality.com

Abalone industry calls for Federal intervention on disease threat - ABC Online

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Experienced Primary Industry Leader at the Helm

AgriQuality is pleased to announce the appointment of Tony Egan as Chief Executive Officer, effective 10 April 2007.

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