Why our future depends on taking biosecurity seriously
OPINION: When it comes to biosecurity, we often hear about the end of a response, but it’s the beginning that helps determine our success.
Low-traffic quarantine facilities may be reduced under the latest move by the Ministry for Primary Industries to stop unwanted pests and diseases from entering New Zealand.
MPI is looking to revoke approval for "transitional facilities" that have been operating for a year without receiving containers or other cargo, says Stu Rawnsley, MPI Manager North Cargo.
"The move is about ensuring that private operators who deal with imported goods have the skills and experience to meet New Zealand's strict biosecurity standards.
"The fact is facilities that process low volumes of goods can find biosecurity requirements to be burdensome, which can lead to compliance issues and disproportionate costs for MPI."
Low-traffic facilities will escape closure if they can show they will receive goods in the future, but they will require MPI supervision to ensure they comply with biosecurity procedures, says Rawnsley.
MPI will now also consider container volumes as part of the approval process for new quarantine facilities.
"Approvals will still be made on a case-by-case basis, but facilities that plan to only receive six or fewer containers each year are likely to find it harder to get approval," says Rawnsley.
In a related move, MPI will introduce a flat charge of $887.70 in December for approving new facility operators. This replaces the current hourly rate charged for operator approval.
There are currently some 5,800 private quarantine facilities operating in New Zealand. They range from large commercial operations near major ports, to small businesses that rarely receive imported goods.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
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