Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

Labour will continue to improve systems for dealing with severe biological threats
such as an avian influenza pandemic.
Labour will develop additional expertise in marine traffic and identification of waterborne
pests and organisms.
Government-Industry Agreements
Government-Industry agreements (GIAs) on incursion responses were proposed under
Labour. The concept is widely supported by industries who want some say in how pest
incursions are responded to. Legislation is currently before Parliament.
However, the sharing of costs has become controversial because National is shifting the
burden onto exporting industries, rather than onto the taxpayer or those responsible for
importing pest-carrying products. More debate is needed on this, including the extent to
which incursion responses are a public good that should be funded by the Government as a
core function.
Particular consideration needs to be the potential cost burden on smaller or more vulnerable
industries.
Labour will retain the GIA concept but will revisit cost-sharing arrangements to
ensure that smaller industries are not being burdened with unrealistic biosecurity
costs.
Labour will review the share of biosecurity costs paid by importers to ensure that they
are carrying a fair and reasonable share of the burden of incursion response costs.
In the legislation currently before Parliament, government compensation is not stipulated for
stock or plant destruction as part of an incursion response. It is possible that farmers and
other primary producers will refrain from reporting pest and disease incursions for fear of
financial loss. Further discussion is needed on this.
Partnership with the community
The Government and the community need to work in partnership to respond to serious
biosecurity threats. For instance, a 2006 red ant invasion in Napier was successfully
eradicated by Biosecurity New Zealand working closely with the local community.
Large-scale biosecurity management – particularly aerial spraying – requires public cooperation
and support. Affected local communities must be well-informed and consulted
about the need for action. Any health concerns must be addressed.
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