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.
The KPMG Agribusiness Agenda, released last week, is the annual report assessing the state of the country’s food and fibre sector.
Once again, ‘world-class biosecurity’ topped the list of priorities for the year, with an average priority score of 9.40 – the highest reported for any priority since 2018.
Growing Biosecurity Threats Raising Industry Concerns
According to KPMG, contributors recognised that the range of potential incursion threats is increasing as global connectivity grows and the climate changes.
“As a result, focus is on ensuring threat identification and management mechanisms are aligned with the risks faced today rather than the issues we have encountered in the past,” the report states.
According to the report, contributors expressed concern around over confidence in New Zealand’s ability to respond to a biosecurity incursion.
“It was highlighted that many of our most important export sectors are built on monocultures, making biosecurity a more significant risk to economic resilience than is often acknowledged.”
“Leaders noted that threat profiles are evolving, partly due to climate change, yet our approach to identification and response remains largely based on historic successes.”
Sector Urged To Prepare For Future Incursions
Contributors said there was a need to ensure the industry is actively preparing for the next threat, rather than continuing to defend against past incursions.
The report says the use of data and analytics tools enabled better assessment of the true risk at each entry point and the ability to direct resources, new technology and intensive surveillance as appropriate.
“Contributors also highlighted the sector’s biosecurity incursion crisis response capabilities as a (thankfully) underutilised resource.
“With the increasing incidence of extreme weather events requiring emergency response, recognising and resourcing this capability could support faster and more targeted delivery of critical support into regional communities during future disruptions.”
Trade Agreements Continue To Be Major Priority
Meanwhile, signing high quality trade agreements came in second, retaining its place in the top three priorities for the eighth year in a row.
“In a volatile global environment, it is no surprise that industry leaders continue to seek maximum market access, enabling them to pivot when the unexpected happens,” the report says.
It claims that contributors acknowledge the progress the Government has made on this issue in the past year, a period which saw the Comprehensive Economic Partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) come into effect and progress made towards a free trade agreement with India.
