Has the Government given Minister for Agriculture Damien O'Connor enough money to fight Mycoplasma bovis or to keep the marmorated stink bug from our shores?
The Country's Jamie Mackay put this question to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on today's show as biosecurity incursions continue to cause concern for New Zealand's farming community.
The Prime Minister praised MPI's move to send back a vessel carrying motor vehicles from Japan that was infested with the marmorated stink bug as "proactive."
"We can wait for people's cars to be unloaded, but trying to rid New Zealand of a biosecurity threat like that is significant, so proactive measures like that are what we need."
As for Mycoplasma bovis, Ardern says at this stage MPI is trying to "proactively limit its effect," and that she is in talks with Damien O'Connor on what is needed to restrict and eradicate the cattle disease.
