Agreement is a precious thing these days. Of all of the initiatives that have been started in the primary industries, a decade in, GIA is one of the few that has succeeded in bringing sectors together, and keeping them together.
Signing the GIA Deed in 2021 was a significant step for NZPPI, getting us around the table with the government and other primary industries to make decisions, and investing in biosecurity. Prior to this, as a non-signatory sector, plant producers were vulnerable to not only biosecurity risks, but the risk that other sectors could make decisions to shut our sector down. After a spate of biosecurity crises in NZPPI's early days it was clear that we needed to be at the decision-making table.
NZPPI has signed the GIA Deed on behalf of its members. This means that NZPPI members enjoy the benefits and protections of being in GIA, while plant producers that are not part of NZPPI are defined as 'Non Signatory Beneficiaries". This means that they benefit from GIA, without being part of it.
Despite being a late signatory, NZPPI has signed more operational agreements than any other sector, showing that the nursery pathway is critical across the biosecurity system. These agreements includes numerous incursion responses, as well as programmes that prepare for possible future incursions. NZPPI contributes to GIA financially, and with our know-how and technical resources.
The most significant GIA programme in our industry is the Plant Pass biosecurity scheme. This is a collaboration between MPI and nine other plants sectors across horticulture and forestry. The scheme enables plant producers to meet a wide range of biosecurity rules and standards that are emerging across industries, Government and councils, using a single standard with one auditor up the drive way. Plant Pass is an example of what is possible through the GIA collaboration, as it would be difficult to support a programme like this otherwise.
GIA is a pay-to-play scheme. In the arrangement, industries pay up to half of the costs of administration and for readiness and response activities, with MPI paying the rest. NZPPI's contributions include funding a share of the administration costs and contributing to each programme. These funds come from our member subscriptions.
Under proposed changes to the Biosecurity Act, GIA’s role is set to become even more important, as incursions become more frequent and expensive (M bovis cost $1 billion) and as more responsibility is placed on industries to manage risk. This will drive up the cost of GIA, making it important that the costs are shared in a fair and equitable way. For our industry, this creates a challenge about how to bring in the businesses that are not currently NZPPI members.
After a decade, 26 primary industries have signed the GIA, and none have indicated that they intend to leave the arrangement. Our industry is in an interesting position where half are in GIA and half are not. As costs increase and GIA evolves, our industry will have to address the issues of equity and cost sharing across the industry, including NZPPI members and others.
NZPPI CE Matt Dolan