Industry weighs in on import concerns

Industry groups and NZ First leader Winston Peters are weighing in behind the country’s biggest mushroom grower, Meadow Mushrooms, over concerns about bio-hazard risks from imported mushroom compost.

The compost was imported for rival grower Mercer Mushrooms at Pukekawa before the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) prohibited it and the company was forced to temporarily suspend work for almost 100 employees and halt expansion plans.

Consequently, MPI published a draft standard in February and has received feedback from Meadow Mushrooms, Dairynz, the New Zealand Equine Health Association, and others ahead of a final decision.

But most of the submitters, including the Poultry Industry Association, have not been assured by MPI’S proposed standards.

The Poultry Industry Association’s executive director, Michael Brooks, said his organisation was concerned because of New Zealand’s unique disease-free status for many fowl illnesses.

MPI learnt about mushroom compost imports from the Netherlands in early 2016, although it had been alerted to the risk earlier.

MPI’S background explanation cites 187 potential organisms or diseases including mites, gnats, fungi and viruses.

The draft standard would require auditing by the authorities of the exporting country, as well as secure and clean packaging. It would also mean material containing horse and chicken manure must be composted at 80 degrees Celsius for no less than 72 hours.

The draft standard outlines the methods used by Netherlands company Walkro. MPI concludes that the chicken manure in the Walkro compost ‘‘is assessed to pose a negligible biosecurity risk’’.

Mercer Mushrooms chief executive Dave Highlands said the technology of the Netherlands supplier was ‘‘state of the art and without comparison in New Zealand’’.

‘‘The security chain and postclearance conditions are most rigorous,’’ Highlands said.

‘‘The reaction from Winston Peters is a bit disappointing. He’s obviously friends with [Meadow Mushrooms owner and former National Party MP] Philip Burdon.’’

Highlands said the imported compost was cheaper but the greatest benefit was the quality and increased yield.

Meanwhile, Peters has called on Prime Minister Bill English to rein in Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy. He said New Zealand farmers were already under siege on the question of animal waste: ‘‘So why on earth import more of it from offshore?’’

Peters accused Guy of exposing Kiwi farmers and growers and said the imported wastes of farm animals was as high a risk as imaginable.

He ridiculed the claims of higher quality yields and dismissed international fair trading considerations.

MPI officials visited the Netherlands plant of Walkro, which exports its products to 36 countries, for their own assessment.

But Peters questioned whether they came under ‘‘hidden influences’’.

Waikato-based Mercer Mushrooms is about one-tenth the size of Christchurch’s Meadow Mushrooms, which employs more than 500 people and is understood to have expansion plans of its own.