The Biosecurity and GIA Focus Group’s purpose is to ensure New Zealand’s apiculture industry has good biosecurity plans in place by progressing our membership with the Government Industry Agreement (GIA), working closely with government to keep pests and diseases out of New Zealand.  The GIA operates as a partnership between primary industry and government to manage pests and diseases that could badly damage New Zealand’s primary industries, economy, and environment.

The focus group will also work on ensuring our bee products are acknowledged for their authenticity and integrity, integrity and food safety, strengthening the industry case for the continuation of ongoing opposition to the import of honey and bee products from countries of known risk.

WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON

The ApiNZ Biosecurity/GIA Focus Group met in Wellington on 25^th May 2017 with the purpose of progressing a GIA for the apiculture industry.

Read the update on our inaugural meeting here.

Where from here?

We need to work through a consultation process to show that we have an industry mandate to become a signatory to a GIA.

Once we sign the GIA, we will have specific rights and privileges not available to non-signatory industries. GIA provides a co-operative multi-industry approach, which, partnered with the New Zealand Government, means GIA Secretariat costs are shared among all signatories. It will also mean that in an incursion response, industry commitments can be capped, while non signatory beneficiaries will face full cost recovery.

The other benefits of being a signatory include:

• Pre-public notification
• Discussion privilege
• Voting rights
• Fiscal caps
• Operational agreements

Read more about these benefits here