Editorial: Support, don't stifle farmers
OPINION: Ministry for Primary Industries' situation outlook for primary industries report (SOPI) makes impressive reading.
An encounter with a live scorpion at Auckland airport should serve as a reminder for arriving international passengers to thoroughly clean camping gear, says MPI.
An MPI biosecurity inspector recently found the 5cm scorpion inside a tent carried by an air passenger arriving from Mexico.
"It wasn't moving much, but it was clearly alive and capable of inflicting a sting," says Craig Hughes, MPI's Northern border clearance manager, passengers and mail.
"The passenger was clearly shocked and repeatedly asked our inspector whether there were any more scorpions in the tent. After further inspection, we were able to confirm there wasn't."
He says it is rare for biosecurity staff to find scorpions, but warns it is very easy for dangerous pests to crawl inside camping equipment.
"We keep an eye out for used camping items, but passengers can do their bit for New Zealand's biosecurity by cleaning their gear before they jump on a plane to visit or return home to New Zealand.
"An established scorpion population in New Zealand is the last thing the tourism industry and the public in general want to see here."
The scorpion has since been destroyed.
Two butcheries have claimed victory at the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards for 2025.
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
The Climate Change Commission’s 2025 emissions reduction monitoring report reveals steady progress on the reduction of New Zealand’s climate pollution.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The Government’s directive for state farmer Landcorp Farming (trading as Pamu) to lifts its performance is yielding results.
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
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