The Plant Germplasm Import Council (PGIC) has released its draft strategy for feedback. The PGIC was established in 2020 to facilitate communication between plant importers, industry representatives and MPI to develop a jointly-owned strategy for the safe and efficient operation of the plant germplasm import pathway.
PGIC Independent Chair, Murray Sherwin, says at present the biosecurity and regulatory regimes governing imports of some new plant material can be cumbersome and obstructive.
"Our high security Post Entry Quarantine facility (PEQ L3B) is unable to accept any new plant material for screening before 2025 due to inadequate capacity. Alternative pathways, for example, using offshore facilities for that purpose, face challenging regulatory approval processes. This is clearly not satisfactory. The draft strategy aims to guide a work programme over the next few years to untangle this situation and shift us towards efficient and safe access to the plant material New Zealand needs."
The draft strategy is available for download below. Feedback can be emailed to Clare Ansley, Secretariat, Plant Germplasm import Council at clare.ansley@mpi.govt.nz.