BIOSECURITY ADVOCACY
New Zealand's plant production industry faces many biosecurity threats with potential to cause significant environmental damage and financial loss. This loss might come in the form of restrictions on plant movements, destruction of plants and germplasm, reputation, reduced productivity, and increased costs.
Our role
NZ Plant Producers is the lead organisation for biosecurity in the plant nursery industry. We participate in the biosecurity system alongside industry and government and advocate for a system that is workable for plant producers. We support our members to improve their capability to manage biosecurity threats.
How we go about it
- We work alongside industry as we prepare to manage future biosecurity risks.
- We communicate about biosecurity risks in our industry.
- We have in-house knowledge and expertise on biosecurity and assist our members.
What are we doing at the moment?
- We have joined the Government Industry Agreement on Biosecurity (the GIA)
- We manage Plant Pass, the Plant Production Biosecurity Scheme developed under the PPBS Operational Agreement and are actively encouraging producers to register and get certified under the scheme
- We are partners in several other Operation Agreements such as the Xyella Response Plan
- We work with industry groups to develop future Operation Agreements to prevent, and respond to, the most serious risks.
- We work closely with the Ministry of Primary Industries to understand emerging risks and threats to our sector.
What is the GIA?
NZ Plant Producers signed the Government Industry Agreement for Biosecurity Readiness and Response (GIA) in 2021. The Agreement is a partnership between the Crown and industry to improve biosecurity readiness and response. Its aim is to prepare for and effectively respond to biosecurity risks.
It provides for joint decision-making and sharing the cost of readiness and response activities. There are two parts to the Agreement: the Deed; and Operational Agreements:
- The Deed outlines the principles of the partnerships between the Crown and each industry that signs the Deed. It describes the rights, legal obligations, roles, responsibilities and commitments of each Signatory.
- Operational Agreements define joint commitments for readiness and response activities for specific pests (eg Brown Marmorated Stink Bug). They detail what makes up the readiness and response activities, how they will be implemented and how they will be funded.
NZ Plant Producers acted on behalf of our members to:
- become a Signatory to the Agreement by signing the Deed in February 2021.
- become a partner in Operational Agreements.
Signing the Deed gave us the authority to:
- represent members on governance groups determine biosecurity policy and action
- agree how the Agreement is funded
- negotiate future Operational Agreements on members’ behalf
- agree the activities for readiness and response for future Operational Agreements
- make decisions on industry’s behalf during biosecurity readiness and response activities
- discuss issues relating to the biosecurity system that are wider than just readiness and response activities.
NZPPI is the manager of Plant Pass, which was developed under the Plant Production Biosecurity Scheme OA. We are also partners in the following OAs:
- Xyella Reponse Plan
- Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus
- Tomato Red Spider Mite
- Pepino Mosaic Virus
- Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid.