There are concerns for New Zealand's seafood exports after a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 in China.
The outbreak has led to a consumer salmon boycott after the new infections were reportedly traced to a chopping board of a seller of imported salmon at a market in Beijing.
A spokesperson for Seafood New Zealand, which represents the sector, said it was "monitoring the situation" following the reports.
"While there has been speculation about the potential source of the virus, we note the source has not yet been confirmed," the spokesperson added.
Mark Preece, chairman of the New Zealand Salmon Farmers Association, told Newshub he was "highly confident" New Zealand seafood was not a source of COVID-19 and is safe to eat.
"New Zealand responded proactively to COVID-19," Preece said.
"The New Zealand seafood industry, including aquaculture farmers, fishers and processors, implemented strict hygiene and contamination control measures designed to prevent transmission of the virus."
Rob Scollay, a trade expert and associate professor of economics at Auckland University, said a consumer boycott "could be more difficult to address" than a Government ban, as there are no official channels for addressing it directly.
Past scares over food safety combined with the threat of COVID-19 could mean that "sensitivity could be dramatically ramped up" in China, Scollay said.
"This would in turn underline the importance for New Zealand of maintaining its reputation for food safety based on high standards for food hygiene and quality. This may not of course prevent us from becoming collateral damage arising from food safety breaches by other parties."
Although any sustained new outbreak of COVID-19 in China would likely spell bad news for New Zealand exports, if the Chinese government shows it can quickly stamp out the fresh outbreak it could reassure consumers and end up having positive implications for New Zealand exporters in the long term, Scollay said.
