New Zealands economy and agricultural sector lives and dies on its biosecurity protocols.
The worry is that in an endeavour to save money from Government departments our border security could be at risk and the overall costs if there is an outbreak will be far greater than that saved.
The PSA outbreak is a graphic illustration of what a disease outbreak can do to an industry and millions of dollars are being lost to the economy and those in that industry.
Do you have confidence in our countries biosecurity and do we have our priorities right on where public spending should be cut?
The European Union's food safety watchdog has been asked to assess the health risks posed by a new virus that has infected animals in Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The Schmallenberg virus, named after the German town where it was first discovered in November, has infected cattle, sheep, and goats, causing birth defects in offspring including deformation of the head, neck and limbs.
"The European Commission has requested urgent scientific and technical assistance for possible risks resulting from the Schmallenberg virus," the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said in a statement reported in Stuff.
EFSA will provide the Commission and EU governments with likely scenarios on how the insect-borne virus could affect livestock in the coming months, and will also assess possible risks to human health, the statement said.
Treasury recommendations to weaken biosecurity protection for short-term growth will undermine the long-term strength of our export economy, the Green Party said today.
Treasury made the recommendation in their Briefing to the Incoming Minister today.
Their recommendations are to reduce “at the border” barriers and to change new organisms regulations – weakening the laws around the introduction of new organisms like genetically modified organisms.
“Treasury’s advice is incredibly short-sighted and risks the long-term viability of our agriculturally-based export economy,” said Biosecurity spokesperson Steffan Browning.
3 Comments
Tony can you investigate what has been causing salmonella in dairy herds. I am hearing that mineral feed from the USA is having the finger pointed at it. If this is the case it is another biosecurity cock-up. Farmers affected by it have had significant effects on production, as cows have to be treated with anitbiotics with a reasonably long withholding period. Some farmers have also lost cows. There seems to be a bit of 'sweeping under the carpet' on this. Fonterra and MAF have recently surveyed farmers on the subject so it must be causing concern somewhere.
To be able to advise re biosecurity issues advisors should have to have the majority of thier income earned in the primary sector or to have at least 25yrs experience in biosecurity. Anything less is pie-in-the sky stuff.
Interesting article considering that weve just seen a potential breakdown in NZ's border control where one of our milking shed tradesman returned from China at the end of last week where he has been involved with a cowshed on a farm that had confirmed "Foot & Mouth".
He did a great thing by ringing me to say that he wasnt sure that he should come out to our farm today as he arrived back in NZ last Thursday via Auckland airport - coming through customs he decleared that he had been on a Foot & Mouth farm in China that day and that he had a suitcase full of clothes and boots as well as all of his trade tools in another case.
Border Control took his boots and washed them but did nothing with the clothes or tools hed been using in China.
He was very concerned that by coming to my farm he could transmit Foot and Mouth and asked if I could do some checks as he felt that our border patrol (MAF) shouldve done more than what they did (no inspection of his tools etc).
I to was concerned as we all know the consequences of a "Foot & Mouth" outbreak in NZ, and knowing how many Kiwis are flying into and out off China and South America (Foot & Mouth Endemic areas) and working on these farms then theres every chance that this type of activity is where our disease risks lie.
I have since spoken to the top dogs in MAF about this and and they have followed up with my tradesman and asked him to do several things with his gear, including not taking it to my farm.
God help us if someone really wanted to bring down our dairy/bovine industry (or should I say NZ) ................
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