Fenton says a lot of work is going on behind closed doors on the government industry agreements (GIAs). “It’s a work in progress,” he told Rural News.
His comments follow a warning that the delay in concluding the GIAs is expanding gaps for biosecurity breaches.
The KPMG Agribusiness Agenda, released last week, says some sectors remain sceptical about GIA. KPMG head of agribusiness Ian Proudfoot says the Government and some agriculture sectors have “diametrically opposed views” on how GIAs should work.
The impasse must end, he says. “While debate continues gaps are expanding for biosecurity breaches.”
However, Federated Farmers biosecurity spokesman Dr William Rolleston disagrees. “Although it’s good to get things done quickly, we must have a high quality agreement. We don’t see any evidence of MPI degrading biosecurity management as we go on quietly with the negotiations.”
KPMG interviewed 98 agribusiness leaders for the report and biosecurity is their top priority. Maintaining a world class biosecurity system to protect New Zealand’s economic interests was rated as 9 or 10 priority by 83 % of respondents to the survey.
But there still remains a wide range of opinions over the GIAs. The view of sectors towards GIA structures have not changed much during the year, it says.
“Some sectors see a GIA as an opportunity to gain greater control over their own destiny, while others view the reforms as little more than an attempt to reduce government biosecurity funding, and pass the cost of protecting New Zealand’s economic future back to the industry.
“The response to the Psa incursion has demonstrated the benefits of a coordinated industry, grower and government approach – but it remains to be seen whether other sectors would achieve the same.”
Questions remain on whether enough is being done to sufficiently protect the border. This was best highlighted by the importation of strawberry planting kits from China with relative ease, with no questions being raised by Biosecurity NZ.
Fenton agrees the ideal outcome will be to have GIAs on border security and response to incursions. “But we have to agree first on who will manage the response and make the decisions and most importantly, who will pay. I believe we have a long way ahead before there is an outcome.”
The KPMG report calls on the Government to provide clear assurance on biosecurity funding.
“It’s widely accepted that integrated management of biosecurity threats makes sense for the industry. The Government needs to provide clear assurance it has no long-term plan to reduce its financial commitment to protecting New Zealand’s borders – and it has not yet categorically provided this.”
