Bird Flu: Keep Distance, Wash Hands, Report It
OPINION: It's a tough pill to swallow that bird flu (avian influenza) has finally arrived in New Zealand. This is a moment many of us have hoped would never come.
Information obtained by O'Connor in answers to written parliamentary questions reveals the Government has cut 91 biosecurity officers since 2008, and the number of dogs on active sniffer duty at Auckland Airport has dropped from 20 to 13 over the same period.
"National is putting our exporting industry at risk with its short-sighted decisions," O'Connor says.
"Making these kinds of cuts when the number of international visitors to New Zealand has increased by more than 140,000 since 2009 is just crazy.
"We already know about the absence of dogs at Wellington Airport. Now it appears the Government has no intention of reversing the decline of detector dog numbers. Just one dog graduated from the National Training Centre last year compared to 15 in 2008.
"What's also disturbing is that the Biosecurity Minister David Carter sat on these figures for more than a week – during the Queensland fruit fly quarantine. Clearly he wanted to avoid further criticism at time of intense public scrutiny and concern.
"The ministry now says it will hire 40 new staff an admission the cuts have gone too far.
"The new figures will come as a shock to orchardists and farmers who rely on an effective biosecurity system to protect their livelihoods and export ability. Under National, our protections are being systematically run down. This is a grave concern," O'Connor says.
