Category: Ministry for Primary Industries

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

More officers, detector dogs, and airport hosts, along with an enhanced public awareness campaign, will bolster biosecurity protections for New Zealand this summer.

“We have strengthened our frontline to ensure biosecurity threats such as foot-and-mouth disease and brown marmorated stink bug do not cross the border and harm the country’s $54 billion primary sector,” says Biosecurity New Zealand commissioner Mike Inglis.

Biosecurity New Zealand has recruited 72 frontline officers this year, including 24 recent graduates who will be based at Auckland Airport over the summer. Detector dog handlers on duty this summer will increase nationwide from 30 to 39.

“The additional detector dog team capacity means we can make greater use of airport express lanes to speed up passenger flows,” says Mr Inglis.

“Opening our express lanes to more travellers, combined with changes to how we assess passengers for biosecurity risk, will result in more efficient processing.

“Our biosecurity controls are necessary to protect New Zealand. At the same time, we want to build on processing improvements over the past year that have resulted in nearly a 50% reduction in the time it takes passengers to get through biosecurity at Auckland Airport.”

Mr Inglis says the quickest way to pass through biosecurity screening is to avoid bringing food or other items that could pose a biosecurity risk.

He says travellers who complete a digital declaration will increasingly experience faster border processing. The New Zealand Traveller Declaration can be completed 24 hours before departing for New Zealand.

This summer will also see 44 part-time biosecurity hosts at New Zealand’s 4 main international airports.

“The move follows successful trials last summer, using 19 hosts, to welcome air passengers on arrival, help with queue management, and provide friendly biosecurity assistance,” he says.

An enhanced public awareness campaign aimed at travellers to New Zealand will start in mid-December.

Like previous years, the campaign will encourage travellers to declare or dispose of potentially harmful items upon arrival and prompt them to think about the things they are bringing before they arrive.

“The more informed travellers are about our biosecurity rules before they visit New Zealand, the less likely they are to bring risk items in.

“Those who don’t declare face an infringement fee of $400 or even prosecution.”

Mr Inglis expects to see a small increase in the volume of international passenger arrivals this summer.

“We understand there is a 1.8% rise in available seating to around 3.95 million seats between November and March,” he says.

Peak international airport arrivals are expected between December and January.

He says arrival volumes are approaching pre-Covid levels, with increases every month.

“Nationwide, we screened 562,980 passengers in October, up from 544,370 in the same month last year. Officers also seized 8,854 risk items and issued 831 infringement notices to passengers who failed to declare items in October.”

He says the most common seizures continue to be fresh produce, dirty camping equipment, soiled boots, and meat products. Recent unusual finds include undeclared eggs filled with silicon and an ornately carved cow skull from Indonesia.

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Fishery officers this week (9 December 2024) caught a group of people who had taken 460 pāua from a closed area on the south coast of Kaikoura.

“The recreational pāua fishery is closed for the season, so taking pāua is prohibited. Our fishery officers responded to a call on our poacher phone line.

“To make matters worse, the 3 divers refused to allow us to inspect their catch. One of the 3 had a knife on his belt, placed his hand on it and said they were leaving with the pāua.

“Our fishery officers work hard to protect our shared fisheries and will not be intimidated by this sort of behaviour,” says Fisheries New Zealand district manager Marlborough and Canterbury, Stuart Moore.

“With the assistance of New Zealand Police, we stopped the 3 people the following day in the Amberley area and found 460 pāua – many undersize, in their vehicles. Their vehicles, dive gear, and all pāua were seized, and serious charges are likely under the Fisheries Act.

“The community has zero tolerance for poaching and neither do we. We’re grateful to our colleagues at police for their back up and support. The rules are there for a reason and when we find evidence of them being broken – we take action,” says Stuart Moore.

MPI encourages people to report suspected illegal activity through the ministry’s 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 47 62 24)

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

A Nelson lifestyle block owner who failed to treat a cow, suffering from severe cancer eye, has been fined $4,200.

Kathryn Rona Saunders (57) was sentenced in the Nelson District Court today on one charge under the Animal Welfare Act of reckless ill-treatment of an animal, she pleaded guilty to following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

“This animal was in serious pain and distress and our investigation found that instead of bringing in qualified veterinary support, Ms Saunders attempted to remove the cancer herself, with the help of her son. This action was unconscionable,” says MPI director of animal welfare and response, Glen Burrell.

There were 29 mixed age beef cattle on the property, and in November last year, following a complaint, an animal welfare inspector examined the Hereford cross cow which had a large growth on the side of its head. The lesion was cancerous and had spread from the cow’s eye to throughout the left-hand side of the cow’s head.

“This growth was entirely visible, and at no point did Ms Saunders seek veterinary help. Our attending veterinarian advised euthanising the animal immediately and described it as one of the worst cases of cancer eye he had seen in 30 years of practice.

The cow was euthanised to stop any further suffering.

“When we find evidence of deliberate neglect – we will investigate and take action by placing the matter before the court,” Glen Burrell says.

MPI strongly encourages any member of the public who is aware of animal ill-treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone 0800 00 83 33.

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Fishery officers were called in by Hawkes Bay police yesterday after they stopped a car with a big haul of pāua inside.

Police stopped the car and established the 2 men inside had been diving. They were found with 353 pāua – most of it undersized.

“The 2 men are likely to face charges under the Fisheries Act. This was a lot of pāua, and it’s disappointing to find people blatantly breaking the rules,” says Fisheries New Zealand district manager, fisheries compliance, Mike Sutton.

“The rules are there for a reason – to protect the sustainability of our shared fisheries. You can expect to see Fishery Officers inspecting catches and enforcing the rules throughout summer. We’re grateful to our colleagues at NZ Police for their quick action.

All the pāua will be returned to the ocean.

“If you’re going fishing today or throughout summer, the best thing to do is download the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app. It’ll show you the rules in any area you intend to fish, as well as restrictions and closures,” Mr Sutton said.

NZ Fishing Rules mobile app

MPI encourages people to report suspected illegal activity through the ministry’s 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 47 62 24)

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Continued testing and monitoring shows no signs of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outside of Mainland Poultry’s farm at Hillgrove, Otago, where depopulation of layer sheds is expected to be completed today, says Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson. 

The farm remains under strict biosecurity lockdown.

“The depopulation to date covers all 4 layer sheds, which held a capacity of 160,000 chickens in total. We’ve had an animal welfare specialist on site to observe depopulation operations.

“Test results at the weekend confirmed the HPAI H7N6 virus had spread to the final layer shed, which was not unexpected for this virus. We had already planned to depopulate this shed before those results came in as we knew that spread was almost certain,” says Mr Anderson.

A separate facility on the farm that is away from the layer sheds, and houses 40,000 rearing chickens, will also be cleared. That depopulation will begin today.

“International experience tells us there is no other way to manage the risk of spread of this virus other than full farm depopulation, followed by cleaning, and decontamination.

“We’ve moved quickly in the past week to put in restrictions, investigate, track, and test, and I thank the farmer involved and our industry partners for their help – together we’ve made strong progress.

“More than 1,200 samples have been received to date, with hundreds being analysed at a time at our enhanced PC3 laboratory at Wallaceville in Wellington.

“Our response team has more than 200 staff across MPI now involved. We continue to put significant resource into eliminating H7N6, and we are confident we are on the right track to stamp it out,” says Mr Anderson.

There remains no risk to eggs and chicken supply in New Zealand given the size of the national flock, nor any issues for food safety, and the risk to human health remains low.

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

Find out more about the strain of bird flu (H7N6) in Otago

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Testing and monitoring shows high pathogenic avian influenza remains confined to a single Mainland Poultry property, Hillgrove, in Otago.

An unconnected small farm near Dunedin that underwent testing during the week has been confirmed free of HPAI.

Continued monitoring and preliminary test results show no infection on 5 other Mainland Poultry properties linked to the Hillgrove farm, where depopulation is continuing.

As expected, a third shed on the Hillgrove property has tested positive for HPAI and its 40,000 chickens will be depopulated in the coming days.

A fourth shed, with 40,000 chickens, is yet to test positive but we are planning to depopulate it as it is highly likely to be infected.

The total number of chickens depopulated from the 4 sheds will be 160,000 birds. The farm remains under strict biosecurity lockdown.

There have been no reports of sick poultry elsewhere in the country.

There remains no risk to eggs and chicken supply in New Zealand given the size of the national flock, nor any issues for food safety and human health.

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

Find out more about the strain of bird flu (H7N6) in Otago 

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Biosecurity New Zealand says test results to date from a small free-range layer chicken farm near Dunedin are negative for high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

And testing and monitoring continues to show no signs yet of disease on 5 chicken farms operated by Mainland Poultry and linked to its Hillgrove, Otago, site that tested positive for the H7N6 subtype of avian influenza last weekend, says Biosecurity New Zealand’s deputy director-general Stuart Anderson.

On Tuesday, Biosecurity New Zealand put a precautionary restricted place notice on the Dunedin farm, stopping the movement of material on and off the property, after some of its estimated 6,000 birds died.

“We’ve tested a number of samples from the Dunedin farm and if HPAI was present we would have expected to see it in most of them, but we haven’t found any.

“The results will be welcome news for the farmer and we would like to acknowledge their efforts in reporting the deaths and working with our staff.

“At this stage, we believe the issues on the farm are caused by an existing New Zealand disease among the birds and we will work with the farm to identify what it is and provide support.”

Mr Anderson says the precautionary biosecurity controls put on the property earlier in the week will remain in place for now while more testing is carried out to determine the cause of illness.

Meanwhile, the depopulation of chickens continues at the Mainland Poultry farm at Hillgrove, Otago, which remains under strict controls.

Mr Anderson says to date, there have been no signs of production loss or ill birds at Mainland Poultry’s 5 other properties in the area.

“The Ministry for Primary Industries’ enhanced PC3 laboratory at Wallaceville in Wellington continues to steadily work through hundreds of samples at a time and it’s good news that we’ve not found any other infection yet.

“We’ve moved quickly in the past week to put in restrictions, investigate, track, and test, and I thank the farmers involved and our industry partners for their help – together we’ve made strong progress.”

Mr Anderson says Biosecurity New Zealand will continue its rigorous testing of samples due to the disease’s incubation period, which is usually 3 to 14 days, but can be up to 21 days.

“Steady progress is being made to depopulate chickens in 2 sheds at the Hillgrove egg farm and dispose of them safely at a secure landfill designed for such purposes.”

Mr Anderson says teams are also on-the-ground visiting properties within Biosecurity New Zealand’s 10-kilometre enhanced surveillance zone around Hillgrove, with support from the regional control centre set up to help response efforts.

“Our staff are visiting landowners that own poultry, including commercial and back yard, to provide helpful information on best biosecurity practices, signs of HPAI to look out for, and how to report these to MPI’s pest and disease hotline,” Mr Anderson says.

“We remain confident that we are on the right track to stamping out H7N6.”

Mr Anderson reminded people the risk to human health remains low, and there are no concerns for food safety or wildlife.

“Avian influenza viruses are killed by cooking, so it remains safe to eat thoroughly cooked egg and poultry products,” Mr Anderson says.

“Raw eggs have always been considered a high-risk food. Our advice remains not to consume or serve raw eggs, especially to those with low or compromised immune systems, as the eggs may contain harmful pathogens.”

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

Find out more about the strain of bird flu (H7N6) in Otago 

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Biosecurity New Zealand says initial testing and ongoing monitoring is showing no signs yet of disease on other chicken farms operated by Mainland Poultry in Otago, however extensive work continues.

About 1,000 samples have been received for testing at the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI’s) internationally recognised laboratory at Wallaceville in Wellington, and it is prioritising analysis according to assessed risk.

“The first batch of results, and ongoing monitoring at Mainland Poultry’s properties that have links to the Hillgrove site, show no signs of new disease at this stage, which is promising. However, we are continuing rigorous testing as the disease has an incubation period,” Biosecurity New Zealand’s deputy director-general Stuart Anderson says.

“There have been no signs of production loss or ill birds at Mainland Poultry’s 5 other properties to date, and we will keep monitoring closely.”

Mr Anderson says samples from a smaller free-range chicken farm near Dunedin are being closely analysed and test results are expected soon.

“We acted swiftly on Tuesday, issuing a precautionary restricted placed notice for the property after some of its estimated 6,000 birds died. Those restrictions stopped the movement of material on and off the farm,” Mr Anderson says.

“Testing is normal in biosecurity responses where illness is identified. We acknowledge this is an extremely difficult time for the affected farmers, through no fault of their own, and we are working to support them.”

Mr Anderson says samples are being analysed at the MPI’s multi-million-dollar laboratory in Wallaceville, which is the only facility of its kind in the country.

“We are fortunate to have the facility at Wallaceville. It is the only enhanced PC3 laboratory in the country, meaning it has the highest level of biocontainment approved in New Zealand,” Mr Anderson says.

“This is New Zealand’s first veterinary laboratory to be recognised internationally as a reference laboratory. Having this specialist testing capability means we can get test results faster. Previously, we would have had to send these types of samples to Australia for testing and analysis.

“Staff at the laboratory are methodically working their way through hundreds of samples at a time.”

Mr Anderson says work is continuing today to support Mainland Poultry to humanely cull chickens in 2 of its sheds on one of its Otago farms.

“We are working at a steady pace and the depopulation is progressing well. Two trucks transporting carcasses, eggs and litter from the affected sheds, left the property yesterday afternoon,” Mr Anderson says.

“The material is being taken to a secure landfill in Southland, which is equipped to take this kind of waste.

“The cull is using the industry standard practice of CO₂ containerised gas, which farms regularly use to euthanise chickens.”

Mr Andersons says rigorous testing will need to continue over the coming days and weeks and Biosecurity New Zealand will take action as required.

“The incubation period for the virus is usually 3 to 14 days, with a possibility up to 21 days, so testing will continue over the next 2 to 3 weeks,” Mr Anderson says.

Biosecurity New Zealand has increased its presence on the ground in Otago and has set up a regional control centre to manage the situation.

Mr Anderson reminded people the risk to human health remains low, and there are no concerns for food safety or wildlife.

“Avian influenza viruses are killed by cooking, so it remains safe to eat thoroughly cooked egg and poultry products,” Mr Anderson says.

“Raw eggs have always been considered a high-risk food. Our advice remains not to consume or serve raw eggs, especially to those with low or compromised immune systems, as the eggs may contain harmful pathogens.”

Note, we will send out a further update if we receive significant new information.

MPI chief veterinary officer Dr Mary van Andel will be available for media interviews at the Charles Fergusson Building in Wellington between 2pm to 3.30pm today. Contact our media team to make a time.

For more information, email BiosecurityNZ_media@mpi.govt.nz

Find out more about the strain of bird flu (H7N6) in Otago