Wednesday, 11 September 2013 08:57

Traveller risk still too high: HortNZ

Written by 

Figures just released show New Zealand's border protection is good, but still does not measure up to the standard the New Zealand horticulture industry, and the Government, expect.

 

Horticulture New Zealand says the Ministry for Primary Industries' annual 'Passenger Compliance Monitoring Report' shows the country's biosecurity risk from travellers is still too high.

"MPI quite clearly says in their report that they have not met their compliance target. This has to be a concern for New Zealand horticulture and the wider primary industries," HortNZ chief executive Peter Silcock says.

"Especially as the number of passengers and volumes of goods coming in to the country are only going to increase, as the world recovers from the global financial crisis."

Five years ago the government agreed that MPI could remove the requirement to inspect or x-ray screen the baggage of eligible arriving Australian and New Zealand passengers.

This requirement was replaced with the use of a range of biosecurity risk management tools and a compliance output standard: MPI must demonstrate that 98.5% of all passengers are compliant with biosecurity requirements by the time they depart the airport.

The report just released shows the results of testing of passengers after they've been through the regular border protection checks. This year's report showed a compliance rate of 96.9%.

"That means they are still 1.6% off the target and given that they inspect 4.9 million people, that's almost 80,000 more people leaving the airport with risk goods than their own target allows.

"We want to encourage and acknowledge the hard working border staff, we know they care about these figures and about our nation's protection," Silcock says/

"But they need to be supported by government to ensure they have the resources to do their jobs properly and reach the government's compliance target."

More like this

Horticulture hit badly in Nelson/Tasman

HortNZ's CEO, Kate Scott says they are starting to see the substantial cumulative effects on their members of the two disastrous flood events in the Nelson Tasman region.

NZ growers lead freshwater compliance

Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says that commercial fruit and vegetable growers are getting ahead of freshwater farm plan regulations through its Growing Change project.

Featured

$52,500 fine for effluent mismanagement

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.

Ospri brings Bovine TB testing in-house

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.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Arable advocacy?

OPINION: Spare a thought for the arable farmer, squeezed on one side by soft global prices and on the other…

Gaslight much?

OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter