The recent report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for
the Environment on the impact of weeds on native ecosystems
highlights some glaring deficiencies in our biosecurity
system, says National’s spokesperson for Biosecurity David
Bennett.
“The key recommendation from the report is
the need for clearer priority on the nature of these weeds
and their impacts.
“At this time, we have a national
policy direction that is a generic approach and doesn’t
allow for the identification and prioritisation of unwanted
organisms.
“There needs to be an approach of
priority as to which weeds need monitoring and
surveillance.
“At it stands, that responsibility
lies with regional councils, and there is a lack of
consistency and structure between councils. The need for a
priority programme that identifies relevant weeds would give
councils certainty and mean that the most dangerous weeds
can be dealt with.
“This report can be taken further
to our land-based productive sector, wherein basic weeds
need to be evaluated to see their net economic impact on our
valuable primary sector. The Ministry for Primary Industries
has an ongoing review of the system.
“Once again,
it’s a case of non-delivery from this Government. Damien
O’Connor needs to act with some urgency to protect our
biosecurity from invasive
species.”
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