Posted on 18-12-2002
Biosecurity
On The Cheap
by Alan Marston
The New Zealand Labour Government yesterday released a draft
Biosecurity
Strategy as a step towards the protection of New Zealand's environment
from
pests and diseases. Bold move or flannel? An important question
because New
Zealander's, particlularly those near major ports, are suffering
right now
from massive and poisonous clean-up attempts by MAF after invasion
by pests
like Argentine ants, red fire ants, Chinese mitten crabs, European
shore
(green) crabs, Mediterranean fan worms, exotic mosquitoes,...
and the
really serious pests are still waiting in the wings.
The Labour Party initiated opening of New Zealand's borders
in the 1980's
to everything, money, people, goods is hardly likely to have
zero effect on
the other things that move around the world, diseases, pests
and pollution.
Yet the response to an obvious increase in the latter has been
a decrease
in the funding for border bio-security, cheapness has prevailed.
New
Zealand's biosecurity systems are under great and ever increasing
pressure
from increasing travel and trade. Twenty years on the `new plan'
does not
go far enough in protecting the country from invasive plants
and animals.
The government's multi-agency Biosecurity Council released the
draft
Biosecurity Strategy today. Public comments are said to be welcome,
and the
final round of consultation will close on February 28, 2003.
As usual the
fatuous call for comment accompanies the announcement. Online
contributions
can be made at the government website, govt.nz
The government says its intends to finalize the Biosecurity
Strategy before
June 2003, after analyzing submissions and assessing strategic
and
operational policy options. Maybe they should watch PTV's programme
`Foreign Organisms' (See PTV in this site index), where Aucklanders
complain bitterly of the government attitude whereby free-trade
is god and
people and the rest of the natural environment come somewhat
further down
in the list of priorities.
Forest and Bird's Biosecurity Awareness Officer, Geoff Keey,
said, "New
Zealand's natural environment is being attacked by a deluge
of pests. Some
like rats, stoats and ferrets came a long time ago. Others like
painted
apple moth are new arrivals." The painted apple moth (Teia anartoides),
a
native of Australia, was first found in the west Auckland suburb
of
Glendene in May 1999. There is an ongoing program to eradicate
it with
aerial spray of insecticide that is fiercely protested against
(see above).
"The controversy around painted apple moth and the recent discovery
that
red backed spiders had sneaked past the border shows how important
it is to
do border inspections properly the first time. Aucklanders won't
want to be
sprayed from a DC3 every couple of years because yet another
pest sneaked
past the border," Keey said.
Barry O'Neill, director of the MAF Biosecurity Authority said,
"The serious
animal diseases that have swept through other countries have
so far been
kept out of New Zealand. This is largely due to our geographical
isolation
and our well developed biosecurity systems for helping to ensure
people and
freight entering our country are not carrying exotic pests or
diseases."
"The Biosecurity Strategy must ensure that no more pests become
established," Keey said. "Nature is paying a heavy price for
this pest
invasion: whio (blue duck) and mohua (yellowhead) and kiwi are
declining
and will go extinct unless we protect them from predators,"
he said. Fine
words, covering a disasterous past.
The precautionary approach - if in doubt keep it out - and the
polluter
pays principle are what need to be `carved in stone' within
government
department policy, they aren't. The draft strategy acknowledges
the need to
take precautions. "New Zealand takes a precautionary approach
in developing
its risk analyses," the strategy states. "Wherever there is
uncertainty,
with a risk of damaging impacts, conservative decisions based
on mainstream
scientific views should be made. A precautionary approach also
needs to
recognize most negative decisions also carry risks and consequences."
But
there is still the controversial issue of whose authority prevails
over
biosecurity decisions to be settled.
PlaNet backs Forest and Bird when it proposes the creation of
a single,
standalone agency for biosecurity with a transfer of Ministry
of Fisheries'
(MFISH) biosecurity role to MAF Biosecurity "so everyone knows
where the
buck stops," the group said today. But the draft strategy recommends
designating MAF and MFISH as lead agencies for terrestrial and
marine
biosecurity respectively. We need 100 percent inspection and
cleaning of
shipping containers, instead of the current target of 25 percent,
as too
many pests can sneak in on shipping containers.
Biosecurity is probably the most heavily reviewed area of government
work.
Reviews to date have made over 150 recommendations. While bottom-line
policy has dominated the economic and political scene words
have washed
over us in tidal waves, carrying away many unique species into
the ocean of
extinction. New Zealanders have by their support for cheap is
good
ideology, let it happen, and may well continue to do so.
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