Arachnophobia 

My daughter loves grapes, especially green ones.  Every single day she has a large handful of fat, juicy, sweet grapes in her lunchbox.  New Zealand produces enormous volumes of grapes, however most of these turn into the most delicious wine in the world.  Not many New Zealand grapes make it to my local supermarket. 

Every weekend when I take my shopping trolley through the fruit and vege aisle, I stop of the grape area and select some grapes from a foreign country, usually USA, Mexico or Australia.  Grapes have all sorts of little nooks and crannies that little pests like to hide in.  In fact, just recently some unpleasant little spiders with names like "black widow" and "brown widow" were found in grapes from Mexico.  One spider was found at a supermarket near me.  If these or any other little pests escape and set up home here, it could create a large problem, not just for arachnophobia sufferers like me. 

New Zealand relies on a strong export sector, driven by our primary industries such as horticulture and dairying.  Our primary products are in demand, partly as New Zealand is relatively free of invasive pests and diseases.  It could be economically disastrous if some fruit fly or virus successfully invaded. 

So, who pays for this biosecurity network of research, border control and response?  The government is currently changing to a user pays style of system.  They are relying on primary industry organisations signing a Government Industry Agreement for Readiness and Response (GIA).  The GIA agrees to help fund research and response programmes in return for decision making input on funding, which will benefit the organisations. 

However not all primary industry organisations agree with this method of funding border security.  Mark Ross from Federated Farmers of New Zealand (n.d.) believes that the "risk generators" are the importers and tourists, not the farmers.  His view is that border security and incursion response programmes are for the good of all New Zealanders and should be funded by the government through taxpayers.  He is also concerned over the potential costs of response programmes.  These could end up costing billions if a serious pest or disease like foot and mouth made New Zealand home.  Biosecurity costs are ever increasing as there is more cargo and more visitors to New Zealand every year.  His view is completely understandable for his organisation. 

Mike Chapman from New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc (2014) disagrees with Mark Ross.  He believes that the GIA will help organisations take charge of their own circumstance with important input into decision making and response management.  The GIA is helping organisations control their own future as they steer funding into programmes and research, which each organisation believes will help them. This should help stop the nasty pests from entering the country and causing the problems in the first place. 

We all want to keep our beautiful country economically prosperous and free of harmful pests and diseases.  Hopefully the GIA will help with this. 

References 

Chapman, M. (2014). The biosecurity dilemma. Orchardist, 87(2), 2-4.  

Ross, M. (n.d.). GIA: Federated Farmers viewpoint. Retrieved November 27, 2015 from http://www.summerfruitnz.co.nz/Biosecurity/Government%20industry%20agreements/Article:%20GIA:%20Federated%20Farmers%20Viewpoint