MAF response to foot and mouth scare criticised

A vet inspects cattle for foot and mouth during May's scare. Picture / Brett Phibbs

The emergency response to the Waiheke Island foot and mouth scare in May had some critical shortcomings, a parliamentary report says.

The primary production select committee was asked to report on action taken in relation to the scare, which was triggered after Prime Minister Helen Clark's office received a letter claiming the disease had been released on the island.

It sparked a major biosecurity alert by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry (MAF), raising fears of damage to New Zealand's export trade.

MAF and police investigations established the scare was a hoax.

MAF was credited at the time for its quick action, but committee chair David Carter said today its report had found gaps in MAF's response.

The report was presented to Parliament last week.

Mr Carter said it was lucky the scare was a hoax as the response showed there was a shortage of personnel that government agencies could call on to help.

It had been assumed agriculture officials had resources equivalent to the police or army, but the report showed this was not the case.

Officials also ran into problems establishing the circumstances of several farms due to poor information in the animal register database, he said.

"The significant gaps we found were the lack of resources of manpower in the event of a real outbreak and also the animal register database being quite inaccurate," he said.

The database of farms and livestock did not feature non-commercial farms or lifestyle blocks.

MAF director-general Murray Sherwin told the committee last month that MAF achieved the right balance of response in proportion to the risk.

Asked about the available manpower Mr Sherwin said that in the event of a disease outbreak that stopped meat exports, many vets and stockmen would be freed-up to work on the crisis.

In relation to maintaining accurate information about lifestyle blocks, MAF was looking at incorporating extra information, such as the names of property owners on council rating rolls.

He said another issue which arose was the ability to have enough officials available to step in during a long-running disease outbreak, because decision-making faltered as staff became fatigued.

The May 9 hoax letter claimed that foot-and-mouth had been spread in feed for livestock on Waiheke Island.

It threatened a further release in a mainland farming region unless the Government paid a multi-million dollar ransom and changed its tax policy.

Police are still hunting the sender of the hoax letter.

- NZPA