Celebrating success
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country.
A passenger arriving at Wellington airport has had to give up his lucky charms due to their potential biosecurity risk.
The charms, made from snake parts (including fangs from Thailand) and horsehair, are thought to be lucky in the search for gold. The passenger arrived from Australia and said the charms were usually attached to his metal detector when he went looking for gold.
He declared the items to Ministry for Primary Industries staff on his way into New Zealand, but staff considered the risk too great to allow the charms through.
"There was no way we were going to allow the passenger to keep the animal parts with him during his stay in New Zealand, as they could
have been carrying pests or diseases," says MPI team manager Tony Owen.
"As he was planning to leave New Zealand by the same airport, he had the options of having MPI destroy the charms or hold them until his departure," says Owen.
The passenger chose for MPI to hold the items and collected them on his way home five days later.
"We didn't think the charms were particularly lucky when you consider the potential harmful effects to industry or New Zealand's native species," says Owens.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Two major red meat sector projects are getting up to a combined $1.7 million in funding from the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
Angus Barr and Tara Dwyer of The Wandle, Lone Star Farms in Strath Taieri have been named the Regional Supreme Winners at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Dunedin.
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in…