Labour is joining calls for an independent review of biosecurity systems after three incursions by foreign pests in the past year, and amid concerns next year's Rugby World Cup could bring more.Yesterday, Federated Farmers biosecurity spokesman John Hartn
Labour is joining calls for an independent review of biosecurity systems after three incursions by foreign pests in the past year, and amid concerns next year's Rugby World Cup could bring more.
Yesterday, Federated Farmers biosecurity spokesman John Hartnell called for an independent authority to be created to investigate biosecurity incursions and complaints against the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ).
"Federated Farmers' concern is that we are playing Russian roulette with our major export industries," Mr Hartnell said.
This year saw the discovery in New Zealand of the Great White Cabbage Butterfly, the Hadda Beetle and the Australian Pasture Tunnel Worm.
Next year's Rugby World Cup could bring even more pests to the country, Mr Hartnell told Newstalk ZB earlier today.
"We're going to have a huge influx of people coming into the country, we do need to make sure when they are coming through the gate, we are doing the right checks."
Soil&Health -- Organic NZ supported Federated Farmers, saying MAFBNZ was its own bender of rules and there must be a better system.
Today, Labour's biosecurity spokesman Damien O'Connor supported a review, and said the only way to reassure New Zealanders was to conduct an independent assessment of current biosecurity systems.
Cuts by the Government in its first budget had undermined morale and confidence in the system, Mr O'Connor said.
MAFBNZ lost $1.9 million baseline funding in the May budget.
Biosecurity Minister David Carter was in the United Kingdom and unable to comment today, but MAF said the existing Biosecurity Ministerial Advisory Committee functioned as an independent committee.
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