Federated Farmers: Seeking mandate to join biosecurity GIA

The GIA framework is designed to deliver better biosecurity outcomes by sniffing our threats early, and using a partnership approach between government and industry to work out the optimum response.

Federated Farmers considers that joining the Government Industry Agreements for Biosecurity Readiness and Response (GIA) is the right thing for the organisation and its farmer members to do.

The GIA framework is made up of a Deed of Agreement which then progress to formal operational agreements for specific biosecurity threats (such as foot and mouth disease and Psa) or groups of pests or diseases that set out in greater detail the role of each party in readiness and response.

The GIA framework is designed to deliver better biosecurity outcomes by using a partnership approach between government and industry. It involves shared decision-making around pre-agreed activities to prepare for and manage incursions of unwanted organisms should they occur.

Operational agreements come at a cost to industry, with industry paying a share of the costs involved. The exact share would depend on a number of factors, such as the scale of the incursion and whether it has implications beyond the industry sector (or not).

In any event the industry share is capped at maximum of 50 per cent and the total industry contribution can be capped by agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Federated Farmers is not alone in viewing GIA as a very important part of New Zealand's biosecurity system. As well as the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), GIA already has 16 primary sector members, including the two livestock processing organisations - Meat Industry Association and the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ).

After working with MPI for some time on GIA, the federation is joining other livestock sector organisations (Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ and Deer Industry New Zealand) on a co-ordinated but separate mandate seeking process from livestock farmers that will take place in November.

Separately the Federated Farmers Arable industry group, in concert with other arable sector bodies, is also embarking on a process to join GIA and will be contacting its members about this in due course.

Livestock farmers will be provided, over the next two months, with the information needed to make informed decision(s) on the proposal(s) that will be put in front of them.

Biosecurity is an important issue for farmers and will become even more so in future. It is therefore vital that farmers have their say on the proposals and provide feedback to their organisations on them.

A key point of difference between the Federated Farmers proposal and the other livestock sector proposals is that the federation is seeking to sign the GIA Deed only.

Federated Farmers believes that the livestock sector is best formally represented at an operational agreement level by industry good organisations who will be responsible for managing the majority of the industry funding.

It is these bodies that would, as appropriate, represent sheep and beef cattle and dairy farmers on OA's (eg. around foot and mouth disease) as partnerships at this operational agreement level as significant sums of money may be required to pay for the industry share of the necessary readiness and response activities.

These funds will come from levy income currently collected via the Commodity Levies Act or, if necessary, via a specific levy under the Biosecurity Act.

While Federated Farmers will not be an OA signatory, it will use its substantial connections to farmers to work with other organisations and will continue to play an important role in readiness and response activities, exactly as we have been in the current M bovis and the recent velvetleaf and pea weevil incursions.

The federation will also use its expertise, resources and pan-sector reach to contribute, as a member of the GIA Deed Governance group, to participate in work in the wider biosecurity area that is outside OA, such as strengthening New Zealand's pre-border and border biosecurity systems.

If the livestock sector organisations are successful in gaining mandate, farmers will have the strongest possible team (Federated Farmers, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ, Deer Industry New Zealand) representing them at the GIA table.

Federated Farmers will be providing members with information about our GIA proposal through a range of channels, with the formal consultation process to take place from October 31 until December 6. If we are successful then an application to join GIA will be submitted to MPI as soon as possible.

The federation encourages members to demonstrate their support for the proposal and welcomes feedback and questions on this important matter.

* If you have questions on this topic, email dburt@fedfarm.org.nz or call David on 027 448 9170.