The following news release appears in the
THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017
New collagen plant will harvest hides
New Zealand Life Sciences, from left, Scott Massey, Roy Nelson, Randall McCoy and Chazz Edwards,at their new bovine collagen plant in Northland.
A GROUP of businessmen and farmers have joined with American biotechnologists to harvest products used in human medicine from closed bovine herds in Northland.
Initially, the joint venture plant at Hikurangi, a little north of Whangarei, would get collagen fibres from cattle hides, leaving the beef and co-products to be sold through the normal wholesale channels. Future growth could include heart valves and blood products, partner Randall McCoy, of Reginicin Inc, New Jersey, said.
Along with willing New Zealand partners, McCoy said the high animal health status, "heavy duty"
biosecurity and animal tracing system NAIT were the attractions of this country
His company specialised in regenerative skin technology on bovine collagen, which must be absolutely free of pathogens and contaminants. It had recently provided the corium and collagen fibres needed to grow enough skin grafts to quickly and successfully treat a young boy with 90% of his body burned.
McCoy had devised and got approval for the closed herd protocols for animal products used in human health, through the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
It was bringing those protocols to NZ for the first time, beginning in Northland and with other plants to follow in regions with high cattle numbers.