‘Doomsday disease’ trade threat
Arrival of foot and mouth in NZ would put 100,000 jobs in jeopardy, says Ardern
If foot and mouth disease reached New Zealand, all rural trade would be stopped and more than 100,000 jobs would be at risk, the Prime Minister says. Jacinda Ardern and Biosecurity Minister Damien O’connor have set out the steps being taken to try to ensure the disease does not make it into New Zealand.
Speaking at her weekly press conference yesterday, Ardern said New Zealand had never had an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
It was a new outbreak in Indonesia and New Zealand would do all it could to keep it out.
Despite there being no direct flights from Indonesia, biosecurity was taking measures for arrivals from there, Ardern said.
New Zealanders were being asked to be honest and thorough in their biosecurity declarations.
O’connor said the disease had been considered the “doomsday disease”.
He referred to what happened in the UK when hundreds of thousands of animals had to be slaughtered.
O’connor said $110 million in the recent Budget had gone towards addressing diseases like foot and mouth.
Every container from Indonesia was being inspected, O’connor said. Inspection of containers meant there would be someone on site who could look for any risk products.
On travel to Indonesia, Ardern said no direct flights meant there were already steps between the countries to prevent the disease from arriving.
Ardern said she was not aware of plans to reopen direct flights to
Indonesia from New Zealand, but if that were to happen the appropriate biosecurity measures would need to be in place.
The foot and mouth disease briefing comes ahead of the final stage of the international borders opening again from Sunday, allowing visitors and students from anywhere in the world to visit, and the reopening of maritime borders to cruise ships.
The full reopening of the borders is likely to mean an increase of visitors from Indonesia, which is not a visa waiver country.
PM has full confidence in Shaw When questioned on the Green Party co-leadership contest, Ardern said the political rules of each party was a matter for them.
This did not affect the running of the Government and so was for the party itself, she said.
Ardern said there was a significant agenda on climate and she had full confidence in James Shaw.
Her decision to put him in that portfolio was not because they needed a relationship strictly with the Greens, but because Shaw was the “right person for the job”.
Covid-19
On traffic light settings, Ardern said nothing had changed.
The focus now was getting through winter, and now was not the time to change anything, Ardern said.
On a current jump in hospitalisations, Ardern said there was about a two-week lag, and school holidays could have therefore influenced the reporting of cases.
Wastewater data showed there could be a decline in cases, she said.