Shane Ardern MP
National Party Biosecurity Spokesman

9 August 2007

Minister should show leadership on border security

National’s Biosecurity spokesman, Shane Ardern, says it’s time Jim Anderton took control of Biosecurity NZ to ensure it has the ability to uphold import health standards before allowing the importation of chilled pig meat into New Zealand.

“The Biosecurity Minister knows that his department does not have the expertise to ensure import health standards are robust.

“When one of New Zealand’s eminent animal scientists, Professor Roger Morris, opposes a change to the import health standards for pig meat, then the Minister and Biosecurity NZ must listen.

“Professor Morris’ expertise is such that he has been called in by the United Kingdom to lead the fight against Foot and Mouth Disease. So when he says there is a danger, we should all be concerned at any assurance from BNZ that the risks are extremely low.

“The problem is that all the standards in the world are only effective if they are rigorously upheld. Reports from the Auditor General have told us that sadly, this is not the case in New Zealand.”

Mr Ardern says Jim Anderton cannot give an assurance that allowing chilled pork into New Zealand will not bring in Porcine Reproductive Respiratory Syndrome (PPRS).

“This is a very serious pig disease which has spread around the world. New Zealand is one of the few countries where that is an exception.

“Jim Anderton is well aware that there is no way Biosecurity can enforce the regulations, and that it is highly likely there will be non-compliance.

“This ‘Minister of eradication is not an option’, will soon add to his title, ‘Minister who opens up the borders to disease’, if he allows the proposed importation of chilled pig meat’ to go ahead.”

ENDS

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