Essential work ‘behind the scenes’

Considerable ‘behind the scenes’ work is going on as industry and government try to keep anything dangerous from being imported into New Zealand.

GERMAC or the Germplasm Advisory Committee meets regularly to discuss the importation of new plant material into the country. This committee aims to “facilitate the safe and efficient importation of propagative material to drive New Zealand’s economic growth.”

The NZFGA representative on the committee is Andy Warren from Bloomz.

NZFGA President Daniel Schuurman says Germac is an example of how MPI is trying to involve and consult industry when considering plant importation.

The committee says it aims to be a consultative forum between the plant germplasm import industry and MPI, provide leadership, analysis and advice on improving the effectiveness of maintaining a viable international trade in plant germplasm, to act as an advisory committee and to advise MPI whether service delivery is meeting agreed standards.

The scope of the committee is plants for propogation and propagatable materials.

The core committee meets quarterly and is comprised of the following:

MPI

• Plant Health and Environment Laboratory Manager
• Plant Import/Export Manager
• Plant and Plant Products Team Manager

Industry

• Environmental Protection Authority
• Horticulture New Zealand
• New Zealand Flower Growers Association
• New Zealand Grain and Seed Trade Association
• New Zealand Winegrowers
• Nursery and Garden Industry Association
• Pipfruit New Zealand
• Plant and Food Research
• ZESPRI International Ltd.

NZFGA representative Andy Warren wants to draw members’ attention to a recent paper presented to the committee; The NZ Phytosanitary Paper. (add link here). NZFGA President Daniel Schuurman says this paper shows the development and work that is going on behind the scenes for New Zealand’s phytosanitary requirements.

He also recommends members read the following report too; Germac Summary – Review of the Post Entry Quarantine for Plants. (add link here).

“If members read these papers they will see what sort of work is going on in the background. There is a lot of interesting material in the form of papers and study involving the industry and MPI around the importation of plant material and it is good to be able to see some of the work that is being done,” says Mr Schuurman.