While it could not have a formal operational agreement for specific biosecurity threats that set out detail of the role for each specific party in readiness and response, it considered joining the GIA was the right thing for the organisation and its farmer members to do, Federated Farmers senior industry adviser David Burt said.
The GIA framework was designed to deliver better biosecurity by using a partnership approach between government and industry.
The operational agreements came at a cost to the industry that paid a share of the costs involved depending on a number of factors including the scale of the incursion and whether it had implications beyond the industry sector.
Burt said the key point of difference between the federation’s proposal and the industry-specific partnerships was that the federation was seeking to sign the GIA Deed only.
While the federation would not be an operational partner it would use its substantial connections to farmers to work with other organisations and would continue to play an important role in readiness and response activities.
“Exactly as we been in the current M bovis and recent velvetleaf and pea weevil incursions,” Burt said.
“The federation would also use its expertise, resources and pan-sector reach to contribute, as a member of the GIA Deed governance group, in work in the wider biosecurity area.
“That is outside operational agreements, such as strengthening New Zealand’s pre-border and border biosecurity systems.”
Meantime, after working with the Ministry for Primary Industries for some time on GIA, the federation was joining other livestock sector organisations Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ and Deer Industry NZ in a co-ordinated but separate mandate-seeking process from livestock farmers.
Over the next two months livestock farmers would be provided with the information needed to make an informed decision on the combined livestock industry proposal.
“Biosecurity is an important issue for farmers and will become even more so in the future.
“It is vital that farmers have their say on the proposal and provide feedback to their organisations,” Burt said.
Federated Farmers believed the livestock sector was best formally represented at an operational agreement level by industry-good organisations that would ultimately be responsible for managing the majority of the industry funding.
If the livestock sector organisations were successful in gaining the mandate, livestock farmers would have the strongest possible team – Feds, B+LNZ, DairyNZ and DINZ representing them at the GIA table.
Burt said Federated Farmers would provide members with information about its GIA proposal through a range of channels with the formal consultation process to take place from October 31 until December 6.
“If we are successful then an application to join GIA will be submitted to MPI as soon as possible,” Burt said.
Separately, the Federated Farmers arable industry group was working in a co-ordinated approach with other arable sector bodies and stakeholders on a process to join GIA.
A secure pathway forward for the arable GIA had been confirmed with agreement in principle to form Seed and Grain Readiness and Response NZ Inc. It would become the GIA Deed signatory on behalf of the arable industry.
The five member groups were Federated Farmers arable industry group, FAR, NZ Grain and Seed Trade Association, NZ Flourmillers Association and United Wheatgrowers.
With the structure of the entity secure, SGR would soon begin consulting arable crops growers and members of the pre and post-harvest sectors on the decision to join GIA.
