Category: Ministry for Primary Industries

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

A new research project has given beekeepers a platform for sharing their expertise to improve the health of the nation’s beehives.

Although the varroa mite has been in New Zealand for 24 years, the destructive parasite continues to kill beehives and is the main reason colonies die in winter. ‘Project Varroa’, an operational research project by Biosecurity New Zealand, got some of the country’s best beekeepers together to discuss ways to tackle this relentless parasite.

“The beekeepers already had many of the answers, our study has just given them a voice to connect and share those answers with each other,” says principal scientist Dr Richard Hall.

The research project involved beekeepers from a wide range of contexts – including large and medium scale commercial beekeepers, as well as hobbyists.  

The first phase of the research involved practical work with beekeepers in their own apiaries, to help them refine the methods they use to track varroa infestations. The second phase of the research, in November 2023, used focus groups and one-on-one interviews with beekeepers to delve into their experience with reinvasion and using different monitoring and treatment methods.

The research findings highlight the value of an integrated varroa management approach based on the ‘3Ms’ – combining monitoring with a mix of miticide treatments as well as mechanical methods.

“Alongside the 3Ms, beekeepers told us that one of the best ways to fight varroa would be for beekeepers to cooperate like their own bees do in a hive. If beekeepers can find better ways of communicating and working together, then that will have a big impact on varroa infestations in their area.

“There is a huge amount of experience among the nation’s beekeepers, but they tend to work independently. A number of the issues our focus group participants raised can be attributed – at least in part – to challenges with coordination and lack of involvement from the wider beekeeping community.

“A more coordinated approach to beekeeping across New Zealand, including better cooperation within the beekeeping industry, would enhance varroa control,” says Dr Hall.

Details of the research and more information about varroa management are available at:

Bee biosecurity resources

For more information please email: BiosecurityNZ_media@mpi.govt.nz

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

The company and director of a nursery who illegally took 220 imported plants out of quarantine after just one day, has been fined $42,500.

Elliott Wholesale Nursery Limited is a Ministry for Primary Industries registered Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facility. Under the Biosecurity Act, imported plants should be in quarantine for 3 months.

Jeffrey Wayne Elliott (65) and Elliott Wholesale Nursery Limited were sentenced in the Christchurch District Court today on one charge under the Biosecurity Act. They earlier pleaded guilty following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

“Mr Elliot is highly experienced and knew the quarantine regulations. These rules are there for a reason – to protect New Zealand from any potential pests and diseases which could be a risk to our biosecurity,” says MPI regional manager, investigations south, Gerald Anderson.

In September 2022, Elliott’s Wholesale Nursery imported 600 Nandina domestica tissue culture – an evergreen shrub from Australia. The plants were unpacked and placed in a Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facility quarantine, where they needed to remain for 3 months. However, after just one day, Mr Elliot removed 220 of these plants, placing them in a non PEQ area.

“To avoid detection and to circumnavigate the biosecurity rules designed to protect New Zealand from potentially unwanted pests and diseases – he replaced these plants with similar looking domestic plants, which he admitted doing to an employee who questioned him.

“When an MPI inspector conducted an audit – the nursery passed because at the time, the inspector believed the swapped plants were the imported nandina plants from Australia.

While Mr Elliot declined to be formally interviewed by MPI, he admitted to MPI investigators that he knew he had broken the law.

No pests or diseases were found on the plants that were taken out of the quarantine facility.

For general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

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

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Biosecurity New Zealand is gearing up for the September school holidays, with international passenger arrivals expected to be higher than last year.

Passenger arrivals at Auckland Airport are predicted to be 2% higher than in 2023, which saw 217,195 air passengers pass through biosecurity checks, says Biosecurity New Zealand commissioner Mike Inglis.

“We’re continuing to recruit more frontline border officers and so far this year, 70 new trainees have been recruited, including 51 in Auckland.

“Nationwide, our officers screened 474,272 passengers in August, up from 459,122 in the same month last year. Officers also seized 7,536 risk items in August and issued 610 infringement notices to passengers who failed to declare items.

“Our role is to ensure biosecurity threats such as the exotic fruit fly and brown marmorated stink bug do not cross our borders,” says Mr Inglis.

“These and other pests and diseases could have a devastating impact on New Zealand’s $54 billion primary sector.”

The top 3 seizures in August were fresh produce, meat products and used equipment, while unusual finds included dried cow dung patties and a large haul of giant clams.

Mr Inglis says there has been a steady increase in passenger numbers since COVID-19 travel restrictions eased and Biosecurity New Zealand continues to improve passenger flows at international airports while maintaining strict biosecurity controls.

Last year, a new risk assessment process was introduced for passengers arriving at Auckland Airport with nothing to declare. The process uses declaration information to assess risk before passengers collect their baggage. Low-risk passengers are directed to an express exit lane, where they are screened by detector dogs.

“This initiative has reduced the average biosecurity processing time at Auckland Airport to around 5 minutes, down from a peak of 13.16 minutes in February 2023.”

Biosecurity New Zealand is looking to risk assess more passengers before they collect their baggage rather than after.

Mr Inglis says trials at international airports across the country shows this reduces screening times.

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

For more information, contact New Zealand Food Safety’s media team on NZFoodSafety_media@mpi.govt.nz.

For general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

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

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is seeking research proposals to help improve New Zealand’s reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land uses.

The annual funding round for the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research (GHGIR) fund is now open, with $2.9 million of funding available for new GHGIR projects in the 2024/25 financial year.

“The GHGIR focuses on improving our knowledge of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, to ensure we have the best possible data to help manage New Zealand’s emissions and inform policy decisions,” says Stephanie Preston, MPI’s director of programmes and planning, policy and trade.

“This year we’re looking for very specific research proposals in 10 priority areas, ranging from improving liveweight estimation of sheep and beef to exploring remote sensing methods of collecting data, such as using satellite data to measure feed type and quality.

“The outcomes will inform MPI’s reporting to the New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the United Nations under the Paris Climate Agreement.”

Applications close on 30 October 2024, with successful proposals expected to be announced by the end of February 2025.

Background information

The annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory reports on human-induced emissions and removals of greenhouse gases for energy, industrial processes, agriculture, land use, land-use change and forestry, and waste.

The Inventory is produced by government agencies, with MPI being responsible for producing the chapter on agricultural emissions (the Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Inventory). The report is submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat each year.

The 10 priorities for this year’s funding round are:

• non-forest land-use emissions model
• review and improve energy equations and intake
• review QA/QC of inventory model code
• review liming emissions
• measure values relevant to the inventory using remote sensing techniques 
• improving the modelling of dairy beef cattle 
• improve liveweight estimation of sheep and beef
• seasonal dairy supplementary feed data intake 
• new afforestation and deforestation intentions survey 
• improved activity data and parameters for deer.

The priorities paper for 2024 is on MPI’s Applying for Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research funding web page.

Applying for Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research funding

Research funded via GHGIR has led to improvements in the accuracy of estimated emissions from agriculture and forestry including: 

• new data to reflect the use of non-pasture feed for dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep
• New Zealand-specific nitrous oxide emission factors from animal excreta split by stock type and hill slope.

Previous examples of projects recently funded

Reports from completed GHGIR funded research

For general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

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

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

Arran Trust is recalling specific batches of its Arran Farm brand raw (unpasteurised) drinking milk, as the product may contain Campylobacter.

“The concern with this unpasteurised milk is that it may contain Campylobacter, a foodborne bacterium that can make you sick,” says New Zealand Food Safety acting deputy director-general Jenny Bishop.

“The affected product is Arran Farm raw drinking milk sold between 23 August 2024 and 17 September 2024.”

The milk was sold through a vending machine at Arran Farm Milk Shop in Feilding. It has not been exported.

“This raw milk should not be consumed. Return it to Arran Farm for a refund or, if that’s not possible, throw it out,” says Ms Bishop. “You can also heat the raw milk until just boiling for one minute to kill any bacteria present before drinking it.

“Drinking raw milk carries inherent risks as it may contain harmful bacteria that are killed through the pasteurisation process.”

Symptoms of Campylobacter infection are vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, and body aches.

If you have consumed any of this product and are concerned for your health, contact your health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 61 11 16 for free advice.

The product under recall was identified through routine testing.

Visit New Zealand Food Safety’s recall page for up-to-date information and photographs of the affected products. 

Arran Farm brand Raw Drinking Milk (unpasteurised)

“As is our usual practice, we will work with Arran Trust to understand how the contamination occurred and to prevent its recurrence,” Ms Bishop said.

Raw milk is not pasteurised, which means it misses out on an important process that kills harmful bacteria.  Read more about food safety risk associated with raw milk on the NZFS website.

Is it safe to drink raw milk and eat raw milk products?

The consequences of getting sick from raw milk can be serious for vulnerable people. We recommend that pregnant people, older people, babies and young children, or those with low immunity should avoid drinking raw milk. 

The vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, but sometimes problems can occur.  Help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts. Information on how to subscribe is on the NZFS food recall page.

Recalled food products list

For more information, contact New Zealand Food Safety’s media team on NZFoodSafety_media@mpi.govt.nz.

For general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 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

Total sales of veterinary and horticultural antibiotics in New Zealand are down for a sixth year running, and sales of antibiotics considered critical for human health almost halved in the past year.

“Antibiotics are essential for the treatment of bacterial infections in humans, animals, and plants. But they need to be used responsibly to prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR),” says New Zealand Food Safety acting deputy-director general Jenny Bishop.

“AMR is what happens when germs develop the ability to resist the medicines designed to kill them.

“The World Health Organization has identified AMR as one of the top 10 global health threats facing humanity. So, it’s vital we ensure our current antibiotics can continue to be used.

“These results, released today in our latest Antibiotic Agricultural Compound Sales Analysis, are a clear sign that antibiotics are being more carefully used, which is great news for human and animal health.

Antibiotic Agricultural Compound Sales Analysis [PDF, 1 MB]

“They are a direct result of the concerted effort by veterinarians, farmers, industry and New Zealand Food Safety to ensure these life-saving medicines are used appropriately so they stay effective.”

The latest report evaluates 15 classes of antibiotics sold during 2023 for use for farm animals, pets, and horticulture. We use this sales data as a proxy for measuring use. 

Antibiotics sold for animal use were distributed among 24 million sheep, 10 million cattle, 124 million poultry, 600,000 pigs, 148,000 horses, 2 million household pets, and many other species.

The report shows that sales for the 5 classes of antibiotics considered critical for human health decreased by 46% to 3,416kg from 6,285kg in 2022. Total sales decreased for a sixth year in a row, dropping 3.6% from 41,033kg in 2022.

“Since a 2017 peak of 71,361kg, total antibiotic sales have dropped to 39,549kg in 2023. That’s an impressive 45% decrease,” says Ms Bishop.

“Apart from tracking sales for the valuable insights they provide, New Zealand Food Safety is doing other important work to help decrease AMR.

“We’re currently reviewing our regulatory oversight of antibiotics used in plants and animals. This could lead to a further reduction in antibiotic use, as controls for some antibiotics might be tightened.

“This extensive piece of work, which involves reassessing hundreds of antibiotic products, has been divided into 4 tranches. Tranche one has been completed and tranche two is underway.”

Summary Report: Tranche One Changes to Cephalosporin, Macrolide, and Penicillin-Based Veterinary Medicines Post-Reassessment [PDF, 462 KB]

“We also work closely with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and international regulators in an effort to manage AMR,” says Ms Bishop.

“In 2017, the New Zealand Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan was jointly developed by MoH, New Zealand Food Safety and representatives from across the human health, animal health and agriculture sectors.

“And just this month, we published our own New Zealand Plant and Animal Sectors’ AMR Implementation Plan to underpin the national initiative.

New Zealand Plant and Animal Sectors’ AMR Implementation Plan [PDF, 552 KB]

“Our plan includes activities to mitigate AMR, the expected outcomes of each activity, the organisation responsible for each activity, and the activities’ deliverables and timeframes.

“We’re all in this together, so New Zealand Food Safety will keep pushing to curb antimicrobial resistance,” says Ms Bishop.

Controlling and preventing antimicrobial resistance

New Zealand Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan – Ministry of Health

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

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

Source: Ministry for Primary Industries

New Zealand Food Safety is approaching its target to reduce rates of campylobacteriosis, the country’s most common foodborne illness, a new report published today has found.

Annual report concerning Foodborne Diseases in New Zealand 2023 [PDF, 5 MB]

The report, prepared for New Zealand Food Safety by the Institute for Environmental and Scientific Research (ESR), found that the rate of New Zealand-acquired foodborne illness caused by the bacteria Campylobacter has fallen from 88 to 77 cases per 100,000 population over the past 4 years.

“New Zealand Food Safety has made reducing campylobacteriosis rates a key priority, and we’ve made great strides in recent years,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.

“Rates of infection more than halved between 2006 and 2020. In 2020 we set a target to reduce the rate by a further 20%, taking it to 70 cases per 100,000 by the end of 2024.

“These latest results show this goal is in sight, which is a testament to the combined and sustained work of government and industry over time.

“The Campylobacter Action Plan, put in place to help tackle the issue, mainly focuses on steps to reduce the levels of Campylobacter through the poultry food chain. We have worked with government, industry and NGOs right across the poultry food chain through the Campylobacter governance group with representatives from Ministry of Health, Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand, Foodstuffs North Island, Foodstuffs South Island, Woolworths NZ, and Consumer NZ.”

Campylobacter Action Plan

The poultry industry has continued to improve processing practices over time, resulting in a sustained reduction in the proportion of birds that have detectable levels of Campylobacter at the end of primary processing.

While changes in the food supply chain have achieved good results, consumer awareness remains an important part of the effort, Mr Arbuckle says.

“We know that about half of all foodborne illness is caused at home. These illnesses can be prevented with good food preparation techniques as well as proper cooking and storage.

“To support prevention of Campylobacter at home we run public education campaigns which focus on giving people information they can use to keep themselves safe.

“While it is rewarding to see campylobacteriosis rates falling, there is more work to do. The symptoms of campylobacteriosis can be unpleasant for healthy adults and the consequences for the very young and people over 65 can be serious.”

The report also provides data on other foodborne illnesses in New Zealand, including listeriosis, which remains steady with 37 cases notified this year, Mr Arbuckle said.

“Listeria is common in the environment and while case of illness are low, listeriosis can have tragic consequences, including death. Of the notified cases, 26 people were in the 60-plus age group, and 7 people died with listeriosis this year.

“There are a range of practical measures people can take at home to reduce their risk from Listeria. More information is available on our website.

Listeria infection: symptoms and advice

New Zealand Food Safety ran a Listeria education campaign in June targeting pregnant people and those aged over 60.

By the numbers:

• 76.8 campylobacteriosis cases per 100,000 population, with 4,010 cases domestically acquired
• 989 hospitalised with campylobacteriosis, with 325 in the over-70 age group – the highest number of hospitalisations across all age groups
• 37 cases of listeriosis, with 7 deaths. 26 of these cases occurred in people aged over 60. 

Media release: Simple steps to avoid life-threatening listeriosis

Campylobacter infection: symptoms and advice

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 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

A Canterbury farmer found responsible for starving his cattle, resulting in at least 20 dying, and others having to be euthanised has been banned from owning cattle and ordered to do 240 hours community work.

Stuart Wellesley Parkinson (45) was sentenced yesterday (29 August 2024) on 3 charges under the Animal Welfare Act in the Christchurch District Court, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

“Animal Welfare Inspectors and a veterinarian examined his cattle and along with discovering at least 20 dead cows in various areas of the property, they had to euthanise about 8 cows and calves,” says MPI manager of animal welfare and National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) compliance, South, Peter Hyde.

“These animals were starving, evident from their grinding of teeth, circling when walking and in some cases, their inability to stand up on their feet. These animals needed immediate veterinary attention. People in charge of animals are responsible for their wellbeing at all times – including providing quality feed and water. Mr Parkinson failed to live up to these responsibilities.”

In August 2022, MPI received a complaint and inspected Mr Parkinson’s cattle at a property in the Selwyn District. They found the farm had about 70 cows and 20 calves. There was a lack of grass cover, water pooling, muddy paddocks, and few dry areas for the animals to lie down. The herd was calving, and their average weights were examined and found to be below the Code of Welfare for Dairy Cattle.

“The animal welfare problems must have been obvious to Mr Parkinson. At no point did he seek veterinary attention. The veterinarian diagnosed the herd as suffering from severe malnutrition, caused by failing to provide sufficient feed. Mr Parkinson had fed these animals on grass only during that winter, stating that he had been trying to sell the cattle and that he had run out of feed.

“When we find evidence of deliberate neglect – we will investigate and take action by placing the matter before the court,” Peter Hyde 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 further information and general enquiries, email info@mpi.govt.nz

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