Biosecurity report slams inconsistent response to foreign pests

By ANNE BESTON

The response of biosecurity authorities to pest incursions has been inconsistent and there is no guarantee the resources are available to deal adequately with a major invasion, says a new report.

An audit by the Auditor-General's office of the response by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to biosecurity said better co-ordination between Government departments was needed.

It also said there was not enough co-ordination between different biosecurity departments within the ministry and confusion over where funding would come from for new incursions.

The report also raised concerns over surveillance of shipping containers and bulk mail items.

The ministry gets most of the biosecurity funding, $130.1 million last year, while the Department of Conservation got $3.5 million, the Ministry of Fisheries the same and the Ministry of Health $2.4 million.

But the different ministries appeared confused over which of them should deal with a pest incursion such as the discovery of the exotic disease-carrying southern saltmarsh mosquito, the report said.

There was debate over whether that should have been dealt with by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry or the Ministry of Health.

The Health Ministry regarded the mosquito incursion as a biosecurity issue but it was assessed as a health issue.

The Auditor-General's report said animal, plants and forest biosecurity groups within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry "work in a relatively isolated way". That caused inconsistencies when responding to new alien species.

The report said that while the red fire ant scare this year was very well managed, the response to the painted apple moth had been poorly managed.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry biosecurity also needed to set clear goals and performance targets, it said.

The ministry appeared unsure what a suitable level of inspection was for shipping containers coming into New Zealand, a likely pathway for pests ranging from mosquitoes to snakes.

Forest and Bird biosecurity officer Geoff Keey agreed and said a central response fund should be made available immediately for biosecurity.

He also agreed that the ministry should review its shipping container surveillance.

"We think inspecting a quarter of shipping containers is just irresponsible. They are a perfect way for pests to come into New Zealand and we think it should be closer to 100 per cent inspection."

Herald feature: Environment