COMMENTARY BY MATT DOLAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF NZPPI
It’s been a while since our industry faced a major biosecurity scare. For the first time in years, there’s been a genuine reprieve, but this could carry the risk of complacency.
Many will remember the early days of NZPPI, when incursions were frequent and plant producers were on first-name terms with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) response team. Those were intense years of constant drama and front-line responses. In contrast, over the past three years MPI’s crisis teams have stayed busy, but their focus has mostly been on other industries.
Same idea, different countries
Without the distraction of responses, plant producers have been building and strengthening their plant health and biosecurity systems and bringing this practice into everyday business.
This is not just happening here. Around the world, biosecurity standards are evolving. The UK’s Plant Healthy, Australia’s BioSecure HACCP, Canada’s Clean Plants, and New Zealand’s own Plant Pass are all examples of this shift. Industries are building biosecurity and plant health systems into their day-to-day business and supply chains. From crisis management we are shifting to day-to-day management.
Overseas they are many other schemes, and but what’s striking is how similar they are. They are all industry led. They have all developed in response to different crises and regulatory settings in their own countries. Yet the schemes are remarkably similar.
When the same idea emerges in multiple places at once, it usually signals that something bigger is in play. In this case it is likely a mindset shift from the premise that government will look after biosecurity, towards relying on industry-led solutions.
Risks on our doorstep
The quiet period we are in right now doesn't mean biosecurity is no longer relevant - it remains one of the biggest risks in any nursery business and in our industry.
Last week's detection of the Yellow-Legged Hornet and the various fruit fly responses in Auckland are reminders. Across the Tasman, the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) crisis reminds us how destructive and expensive incursions are to clean up in nurseries. The additional testing requirements and restrictions on plant movements add to this.
In New Zealand, we are currently working with our Government Industry Agreement (GIA) Partners preparing for the arrival of ToBRFV, which could arrive at any time. We are also preparing for the arrival of Xylella, a serious disease that has devastated producers in Europe and the United States in recent years.
These diseases would cost tens of millions to clean up, or to manage long term. It is now policy in New Zealand, under the GIA, that industries are expected to contribute to this cost of biosecurity responses - this includes financial costs to our industry. This is a significant change.
Improving our day-to-day practice
During the quiet period over the past 3 years NZPPI has continued to work with the other plants industries developing Plant Pass and preparing for the next incursions. A lot of this work has been about shaping Plant Pass so it can be easily incorporated into our day-to-day biosecurity practice across the industry.
There’s a lot we can learn from other countries’ schemes. The UK’s approach is a collaboration between growers, scientists and government. Australia’s combines biosecurity with sustainability. Canada’s is rooted in science, while our own Plant Pass scheme has a strong production and supply chain focus.
Despite the differences, all of these programmes are based on similar systems, including external audits and voluntary participation. This enables us to share knowledge and compare ourselves internationally.
The recent quiet period between incursions has given us the opportunity to improve our preparedness. There is a shift from biosecurity being an emergency drill, to being part of day-to-day practice through industry led schemes. The same idea has emerged in other parts of the world, signalling it may be a movement.