Commandeering Cool Stores Another Bird Flu Blow to Business
Heather Roy
Friday, 18 November 2005
Press Releases - Economy
"The Ministry of Health's announcement that cool stores would be commandeered for use as morgues in a bird flu outbreak
is a further blow to the business and primary production sectors," warns ACT Health Spokesman Heather Roy.
"The 'whole of government' approach to pandemic and disaster planning is nothing more than old fashioned stovepipe
thinking," Mrs Roy said.
"Primary producers rely on clean, safe cool stores for transporting meat, fruit and vegetables. Even to suggest that
they would be confiscated for storing bird flu casualties is de-stabilising to the sector.
"Imagine how long it would take after an outbreak to convince our trading partners that these stores were free of
infection.
"The New Zealand Defence Force has huge experience in dealing with mass casualties. It is astonishing that the
government has not sought the advice of NZDF medical staff who would be able to tell them that refrigerated shipping
containers or trucks are perfectly adequate for this purpose - without causing widespread disruption to the primary
sector.
"The Labour Government would be well advised to seek advice from the experts instead of making unwise decisions that
would make economic recovery extremely difficult for our primary and business sectors," said Mrs Roy.
ENDS