Ospri boss hits out over ‘confusion’
Farmers at the centre of the Mycoplasma bovis crisis had been ‘‘on the radar’’ , a parliamentary select committee has been told.
Outgoing Ospri chief executive Michelle Edge said, during the past three years, she tried to convince the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) it should have been more active in enforcing compliance of the animal tracing system Nait.
Ospri has responsibility for managing the much-criticised system but MPI oversees compliance. Following detection of the cattle disease M bovis last year, it became apparent many farmers had not used the system.
‘‘There was considerable confusion between Ospri and government on who was undertaking what,’’ Edge told a parliamentary select committee.
She said she had tried to convince MPI and politicians that MPI should have been more active in enforcing compliance, and use inspectors working in other areas.
The maximum fine for noncompliance is $10,000, but in the seven years since the Nait system was introduced, only one person was served with an infringement notice of $150.
Edge said it was sensible to consolidate the inspectorate resource and have inspectors being multi-authorised ‘‘because they’re looking at the same animal at the same moment in the field’’.
‘‘If you’ve got 50 inspectors looking at animal status declarations, can’t we get them to look at Nait at the same time. If you’ve got an on-farm and saleyard verification team, which they do with 30 people in it, can we apply those at the same time?’’
She said the South Island farmers at the centre of the M bovis crisis were ‘‘on the radar’’ of Ospri – well before the disease was first detected on a van Leeuwen farm in South Canterbury in July last year.
MPI has since confirmed a farm owned by Alfons and Gea Zeestraten in Southland had the earliest known infection, dating back to between December
2015 and January 2016.
Edge said she had possibly passed on information about the Zeestraten and van Leeuwen farms to MPI.
‘‘We provided information through to government in terms of reporting on their status. There were limitations about how far we could go,’’ she said.
Asked if Ospri recommended anything specific about the van Leeuwens and Zeestraten to MPI, Edge said she would have to come back later with the information for the select committee.
National MP David Carter said Ospri had made a $7 million surplus when it could have spent the money on better enforcement.
Edge replied the surplus had only occurred because of a restructuring programme caused by an earlier cut in funding of
$24m and the surplus was later spent.
‘‘We have five to eight people operating in compliance, I’ve always argued that’s insufficient for national compliance and I’ve argued with MPI we need more firepower.
‘‘Thankfully this year that’s occurred with 100 inspectors authorised under Nait applying the Act,’’ Edge said.
MPs expressed concern over the staff ‘‘churn’’ which had occurred at Ospri. When Edge arrived in 2015 there were 185 staff, now after a restructure there are 107. About half of the 185 are no longer at Ospri.