increase font size
MPI and the cruise ship industry are set to trial a new accreditation scheme to reduce the biosecurity risk posed by cruise passengers.
The Ministry for Primary Industries and the cruise ship industry are set to trial a new accreditation scheme to reduce the biosecurity risk posed by arriving cruise passengers.
The scheme involves collecting background information about vessel stores to determine biosecurity risk, says MPI’s border clearance services director Steve Gilbert.
“Cruise ship passengers are usually very compliant when it comes to biosecurity. The risk material they bring ashore is mostly snack food from vessel stores.
“If we know where the stores have come from and what checks they have undergone, we can have peace of mind that any food that leaves the vessel is free of pests and diseases.”
The trial scheme also involves getting assurances from cruise lines that vessels have strict systems for pest control and they actively promote biosecurity messages, such as restrictions on carrying fruit fly-host materials like bananas and apples.
Gilbert says the scheme will have positive benefits for cruise ship passengers.
“It means we can reduce some of the biosecurity inspections we currently undertake on the gangway. That will result in speedier disembarkation for passengers, which creates a better experience for international visitors.
“It also frees up biosecurity staff to focus on higher risk areas, such as new flights coming in with passengers that are unfamiliar with New Zealand’s biosecurity rules.”
He says MPI will start regularly checking accredited cruise lines in November to ensure the agreed practices are being undertaken.
In some cases this will involve quarantine officers travelling aboard vessels.
He says unaccredited cruise ships will continue to face MPI’s full range of biosecurity compliance controls on arrival, including bag inspections, x-ray scanning and scrutiny by detector dogs.
“The joint scheme offers potential for improved biosecurity outcomes for New Zealand. It’s another layer of protection for the primary industries and New Zealand’s natural environment.”
In the 2015/2016 season, 32 international cruise ships made 466 port visits in New Zealand, unloading a total of 197,541 passengers.
Winter grazing is looming again and the Ministry for Primary Industries says it's going to increase proactive farm visits and provide practical advice for farmers in the lead up to the season.
The primary sector is welcoming the appointment of Dr John Roche as the Prime Minister's new chief science advisor.
A highly experienced agricultural scientist with specialist knowledge of the dairy sector is the Prime Minister's new Chief Science Advisor.
A group of meat processing companies, directors and managers have been fined a total of $1.6 million for deliberately and illegally altering exported tallow for profit.
Movement controls have been lifted from Mainland Poultry’s Hillgrove Farm in Otago, after the successful eradication of H7N6 strain of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
Fieldays 2025 opens this week with organisers saying the theme, 'Your Place', highlights the impact the event has on agriculture both in the Southern Hemisphere and across the globe.
Sam Carter, assistant manager for T&G's Pakowhai Sector, has been named the Hawke's Bay 2025 Young Grower of the Year.
The CEO of Apples and Pears NZ, Karen Morrish, says the strategic focus of her organisation is to improve grower returns.
A significant breakthrough in understanding facial eczema (FE) in livestock brings New Zealand closer to reducing the disease’s devastating impact on farmers, animals, and rural communities.
Farmer co-operative LIC has closed its satellite-backed pasture measurement platform – Space.
OPINION: The case of four Canterbury high country stations facing costly and complex consent hearing processes highlights the dilemma facing the farming sector as the country transitions into a replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).
OPINION: The Greens aren’t serious people when it comes to the economy, so let’s not spend too much on their…
OPINION: PM Chris Luxon is getting pinged lately for rolling out the old 'we're still a new government' line when…
