Friday, March 29, 2024

Everyone is responsible

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Mycoplasma bovis has highlighted problems with our biosecurity system.
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Ironically, many countries in the world have the disease so it is not that causing concern. It is the perception of how we have handled it and the shortcomings of the National Animal Identification and Tracing system that are worrying industry people here and buyers overseas. It doesn’t matter that we might not get a serious disease outbreak or that we might handle it well. If people buying our food don’t have confidence in us and what we are doing then they won’t buy it. If people see us bumbling incompetently with one thing they will wonder how good we are at other things.

Honesty and good communication, both among ourselves and with overseas customers, are essential. One of the problems with the M bovis outbreak has been the lack of good information. A Primary Industries Ministry report on the outbreak was due out well before Christmas. There’s still no sign of it. Getting information from the ministry has been a painful experience for reporters. The result is much misinformation and rumour has circulated.

The NAIT system is being addressed. A scheduled review of it has been completed and the report is due out soon. Now MPI needs to review its communication and publicity system and get it working. It learned nothing from the Fonterra botulism scare and things haven’t improved this time.

Vigilance has to be the watchword of everyone in the industry. There has been much talk about biosecurity for several years and much touting of the wonderful benefits of the Government-Industry Agreements but little said about how they actually work and how those paying the bills get value for money. Biosecurity has to be active throughtout the industry. Farmers themselves must practice biosecurity as they do health and safety. It should be seen as an investment in and insurance for their future, and not as a bureaucratic requirement. It’s part of the great stewardship of the land farmers rightly pride themselves on.

No one should think biosecurity is someone else’s responsibility. It’s not. It’s yours.

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