Another National reheat: no new ideas for primary industries

The National Government has shown it is bereft of new ideas for primary industries and is unable to provide the leadership these sectors so desperately need, Labour’s Primary Industries spokesperson Damien O’Connor says.

“The policy released by Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy today is simply more of the same. There is absolutely nothing new in it.

“It comes at a time when sectors such as red meat are crying out for reform, the wool industry is in dire need of a strategy and exporters are being crippled by the high dollar.

“Meanwhile, the Government continues to pour money into its primary growth partnerships; a fund that lacks any accountability and is under investigation by the Auditor General.

“A Labour Government will address these issues.

“Labour will also introduce country of origin labelling in response to calls from consumers wanting to make informed decisions about where their food comes from and how it was produced.

“Labour will re-establish an independent food safety authority after the failure of the Government’s decision to incorporate it into the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The Ministry’s biosecurity division will also be reinstated as an independent organisation.

“Labour has the plans and can provide the leadership New Zealand’s primary industries need and deserve.

“We will be revealing more of our new ideas for primary industries in coming days,” Damien O’Connor says.

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