Biosecurity laws up for review

The Government will overhaul biosecurity legislation in the wake of the Mycoplasma Bovis outbreak.

Primary Industries’ Minister Damien O’Connor is also considering stricter controls on the sale of waste milk – often used to feed calves and has been identified by vets as a possible infection source.

On Monday, ministers decided to cull 150,000 cattle over the next two years to try to eliminate the disease from New Zealand.

However, the length of time it took to make the decision has led to uncertainty among farmers.

M Bovis is a contagious disease that weakens immunity and causes illness in cattle, but is not considered a food safety risk.

Reaction to the Government’s slaughter plan has been mixed.

O’Connor and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited an infected dairy farm in Morven, south Canterbury yesterday to meet with affected farmers.

Owner Leo Bensegues backed the move to eradicate as ‘‘a fair call’’. He and wife Maite recently re-stocked his farm after around 1000 were killed last year and was now awaiting a final $200,000 instalment – part of a $2 million compensation payout.

‘‘We’ve started to see the light at the tunnel. We got all our cows back, we got the money from [the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)],’’ Bensegues said.

‘‘We’re pretty happy . . . we have to focus on the future . . . you have to be positive and yes it is hard, but in the end you just have to start again. It’s not easy and it’s not going to be easy for anyone.’’

He said the price of his animals plunged from $2000 to $700. ‘‘You lose everything. The neighbours don’t want you, noone wants you.’’

Bensegues urged other farmers to ‘‘work with rather than against’’ MPI. ‘‘There is no way you are going to be worse off . . . honesty is going to go a long way.’’

Ardern said she made the visit because it was important to hear from those on the ground.

‘‘We wanted to hear from someone who has . . . been through the experience of having an entire herd killed and then begin farming again.’’

Ardern admitted slow decision-making led to uncertainty among farmers ‘‘in the early days’’.

‘‘We know there are areas where we need to keep lifting our game and we are committed to doing that,’’ the Prime Minister said. ‘‘I have confidence that those systems will only get better now.’’

Ardern declared eradication, paying compensation and investigating the outbreak’s cause were priorities, but there will also be a review of biosecurity laws.

O’Connor acknowledged the legislation was not flexible, but would not outline where the problems were.

The Government will also look at privacy rules that prevents infected farms being named publicly, he confirmed.

‘‘The Biosecurity Act has been in place for some time, we believe there is a need for a comprehensive review . . . we need to have a thorough look after we have got on top of this,’’ O’Connor said.

‘‘The legislation probably didn’t foresee Mycoplasma Bovis coming to New Zealand. We’ve got to make sure we learn from the experiences we’re having.’’

Ardern added: ‘‘We just need to make sure it is fit for purpose and every time I have a conversation I hear something else that makes me think was the Act agile enough for us to be able to deal with this infection as quickly and effectively as we could?’’