NZFGA getting heard and getting results

Last month’s press release by the NZFGA about bio security and Psa attracted a lot of media attention, and resulted in meetings with influential policy makers in Wellington.

“The results from putting out that press release which included our concerns about bio security for our industry, have been really good,” says NZFGA President Daniel Schuurman.

Mr Schuurman was interviewed on Radio New Zealand’s Morning Report and the release was reported across a wide range of other media. In the Morning Report item MPI said it was willing to meet with the NZFGA to discuss its concerns.

As a result Mr Daniel Schuurman spent the day on August 15 at a number of meetings in Wellington.

He first met with three account managers at MPI and later with Greens spokesman Stefan Browning.

“What we are trying to get politicians and MPI to realise is that, as an industry, in consultation with MPI, we can help them with advice and get a better end result than we currently get. We realise they have restrictions to their budget and manpower and we can help them get better results by giving them new ideas and options. We can help them use a more open minded, modern approach to the problems our industry is facing.”

Mr Schuurman says there haven’t been any real changes to bio security rules for the flower industry for decades.

“If you look at the Import Health Standards and the treatments they require, there are two areas where flower growers are directly affected. The first is Import Health Standards for cut flowers and foliage. On the MPI website this is 155.02.04. It was written up in 1993, and there has been virtually no change since then at all. Possibly even over the last 30 to 40 years. They would argue the opposite.

“The other area is the Importation of Nursery Stock or 155.02.06 on the website. What’s actually on line is not the latest information. It is several years behind.”

Mr Schuurman says in the end the meeting with MPI was very valuable.

“I have got the feeling we have to work to get them to see we have valuable ideas to offer. We have to hammer that home and find the right buttons to push. In the end they were willing to listen and the meeting was positive. We also have to be prepared to listen as well and meet MPI half way. I think they now realise, from this morning’s conversation about risk assessments, that we have valuable knowledge and we can help them significantly improve the outcomes for the risk assessment process for our industry.”

For instance, Mr Schuurman says, it would be extremely useful if MPI stopped evaluating risk assessments one country at a time.

“This will take MPI years to make risk assessments. From our knowledge of the industry we think they should look at risk genus by genus, it would be much easier. If this product is traded all over the world you do the risk assessment on that basis, not one country at a time.

“Pests and diseases may be missed if they come in from one country but the product originated from another country.  All flowers are traded globally now. We want to work out what pests and diseases a genus suffers anywhere in the world and work back from there. We have to be pragmatic about it and have open minds. Looking at this concept of one genus at a time would be the most effective way to import product safely.”

Mr Schuurman says the NZFGA could then propose examples of treatment flower growers know work, which would improve bio security protection to the local industry without putting New Zealand at risk of breaching the WTO requirements.

“They think we just have our own axe to grind, but a lot of our growers export, as well as sell locally and they want to maintain access to markets and don’t want new pests and diseases to take away those markets. They know we can’t stop imports if we want t continue exporting, so we have to look for the best scenario; maximum bio security protection with minimal impact on the export/import sector.”

Mr Schuurman says the meeting with Green MP Stefan Browning was also valuable.

“It was good to talk to him about our concerns from the industry point of view as well as hear concerns from the Greens point of view. A lot of common areas exist.”

Mr Schuurman says he hopes the NZFGA can now move forward and that policy makers realise that as an industry, flower growers can contribute significantly to improving bio security.