By ROBIN CAMPBELL*
No words alarm farmers more than "foot and mouth."
In the good old days, Agriculture Department speakers were always available to impress upon farmer groups the importance of this risk to our prosperity.
So now we ponder the crisis that has hit Britain. This outbreak has been established for three or perhaps even four weeks. One report has suggested that the original source of infection is waste food from an international airline that has been fed to pigs without proper preparation - it couldn't be simpler.
Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by the most infectious agent known to man. Back come the memories of those Agriculture Department films showing animals being driven into makeshift pens in huge pits. Farming families stood by with tears rolling down their cheeks as Army marksmen carried out their soul-destroying task.
But it would not pay to dwell on the British situation at the expense of focus upon New Zealand. An outbreak of the most infectious disease of all has been on the rampage for three weeks in a country with which we have regular contact. Of course we also have contact with countries in which foot-and-mouth is endemic.
But when an outbreak occurs in a nation we believe to be safe and with which we exchange such a high flow of goods and people, there is a risk that we can be caught unprepared. How many international flights have landed here while the disease has been on the run? The world is a smaller place than ever.
No country would be as devastated by a foot-and-mouth outbreak as New Zealand. Try to imagine months without food exports, with restrictions on tourists, and the confidence of our customers destroyed.
Breaches of our border by unwanted pests, particularly insects, are becoming more and more frequent. It is a difficult situation. This country needs the tourist dollar as much as it needs agricultural exports, yet security for agriculture impedes our ability to extend a warm welcome to visitors.
If there is one lesson in what is happening in Britain it is that a foot-and-mouth outbreak is not just a rural event. Movement of goods and services throughout the economy grinds to a halt. Urban people are equally at risk, even to the point of looming food shortages.
There has been talk (although not much of it from farmers) about our ability to exploit this situation at the expense of farmers in Britain. After one supermarket chain excluded New Zealand products from its shelves for a period with the support of some British and Irish farmer groups, such a response is understandable.
But there is a bigger issue here. We strut the world stage declaring our support for free trade. Here is a chance to show that we believe in fair play as well.
New Zealand has a quota of 226,700 tonnes of lamb into Europe. The next biggest quota is held by Australia at 19,000 tonnes.
For a long time we exported 60 per cent of our product to Europe and extracted 70 per cent of our returns. We enjoy this privilege because of our long-standing commitment to reliable supply of quality product.
Others envy our position and it will be challenged in trade negotiations. A little grace on our part now may well pay huge dividends. Supply and demand will set the price regardless.
Let's hope the border security that was easily breached to help solve the rabbit problem, and could not exclude gypsy moth and clover root weevil, will hold now.
Get down on your knees!
* Robin Campbell is a Southland stud sheep farmer, chairman of the Sheep Research Foundation and last year's Agricultural Communicator.
Feature: Foot-and-Mouth Disease epidemic
<i>Rural delivery:</i> Foot-and-mouth crisis offers chance to show we play fair
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