Biosecurity
As readers know, there is an infestation of fruit flies in Grey Lynn. So far four flies have been caught (three male, one unmated female), along with 40 or so pupae and larvae. I’m no biologist, but that suggests to me there’s at least one mated female still on the loose.
First, a bouquet. MPI’s rapid response efforts appear, thus far, to be working well. Good for them.
But the underlying cuts to New Zealand’s biosecurity apparatus that have caused this latest outbreak are a real worry. TV3’s Brooke Sabin has been following this issue for a number of years, and has posted an opinion piece:
The fruit fly outbreak is a damning indictment on the Government’s systematic destruction of border security with the Minister in charge, Nathan Guy, now officially the ‘Minister for Fruit Flies’. […] Since National’s 2009 victory, the Government’s quietly stripped back the biosecurity system.
In October 2011, the Government introduced a “direct exit path”. That means millions of Australian and New Zealand passengers deemed to be low risk, walk straight out without any x-raying of their baggage.
In 2012, 3 News obtained documents under the Official Information Act revealing frontline biosecurity staff numbers had been cut from 295 to 270 since National came to office. The equation is simple, not as many x-rays = not as many staff needed.
Later that year, biosecurity inspectors spoke out about the real risks around new direct exit path, with one warning, “I think sooner or later there’s going to be a serious outbreak of disease or pest in the country that could have been avoided if people were x-rayed at the border.”
3 News also requested audits, to see if the new direct exit system was passing its own internal tests. Some were not, meaning too many risk items were getting through.
Our investigation also uncovered a huge decrease in the number of furniture removal containers being inspected as they enter New Zealand. Between 2009 and 2012 the number of containers being looked at by inspectors went from around 50 percent to just 24 percent – and look at the creepy crawlies we found in one which wasn’t inspected.
Our fruit and vegetable industry is worth $6 billion in exports each year, and our fruit-fly-free status is the only thing that allows some of those exports to take place.
Yes, queueing up a bit longer at the airport can be a pain. But safeguarding $6 billion worth of exports is so worth it. Nathan Guy better smarten up his act, and quick.