Ron Mark MP

New Zealand First Deputy Leader
26 AUGUST 2015

Major Biosecurity Breach at Port Taranaki

New Zealand First can reveal there was a major biosecurity breach last night when a large amount of quarantined imported maize was spilt on New Plymouth’s Ocean Beach Parade and Bayly Road, ironically, near the Ministry for Primary Industries offices.

“The maize had not been cleaned up at the port but was being trucked around the country, with any unwanted seeds and diseases a danger to New Zealand,” says acting Primary Industries Spokesperson Ron Mark.

“The government claims milling at destination will denature it, but that’s too late, as this spillage demonstrates.

“We have had calls that a substantial load was lost last night, so much so, that commercial vacuum cleaners were used late into the night.

“This is deeply concerning. It highlights the weakness of biosecurity, especially when people near the site say they were warned ‘not to drive through it, in case tyres picked up maize’.

“We want assurances from the government and the ministry over how this maize was collected and disposed of.

“There is a disconnect between reality and practice by Biosecurity New Zealand. The government does not understand the difference between denaturing at the port of entry and transporting cargo like this all over the country to ‘transitional facilities’.

“The loss of this load yet again highlights how amateur this government is at biosecurity because these loads are obviously not secure and we know for a fact it is not the first spill,” says Mr Mark.

ENDS

© Scoop Media