new BSE surveillance programme and propolis from Pitcairn Island

Transcription

1 biosecurity i s s u e 1 February A publicatio of the MAF Regulatory Authority Aimal Health & Welfare group Hoey imports: pages 4, 8 FEATURES 2 Biosecurity Act: Admiistratio ad eforcemet 3 MAF s 4 Hoey ew BSE surveillace programme ad propolis from Pitcair Islad UPDATE DIRECTORY 8 Draft import health stadard for cosultatio New import health stadards issued Semiar o the SPS agreemet: Have ew tradig rules for agriculture delivered the goods? Mosquito pest maagemet strategy Poultry meat risk aalysis Legislatio to support bovie TB strategy Operatioal pla for TB New biosecurity agecy Review of border services ad deferral of border cost recovery Registratio of trasitioal facilities Hoey from Wester Australia Pest summit: towards 2004 Iteratioal aimal health regulatios How to cotact us is published by the Miistry of Agriculture ad Forestry Regulatory Authority, ad covers biosecurity ad aimal health issues. It is of special iterest to all those with a stake i New Zealad s aimal productio idustries. Equiries: MAF Regulatory Authority, PO Box 2526, Welligto. Ph: Fax: biosecurity@maf.govt.z Editor: Adrew Matheso 1 ISSN:

2 Biosecurity Act: Admiistratio ad eforcemet This article outlies some of the admiistrative ad eforcemet provisios of the Biosecurity Act, ad completes this series. The fial article i this series provides a brief descriptio of otifiable orgaisms, the act s cost recovery provisios, ad offeces ad pealties that may be imposed uder the act. Notifiable orgaisms May of the act s provisios relate to pests (the subject of a pest maagemet strategy) or uwated orgaisms (orgaisms determied to be uwated by a chief techical officer). The act also recogises aother type of udesirable orgaism: otifiable orgaisms. These orgaisms must be otified to a chief techical officer by ay perso who suspects their presece i a ew place. Orgaisms become otifiable by beig declared as such by order i coucil. MAF s policy o uwated orgaisms outlies the miistry s criteria for declarig orgaisms to be otifiable orgaisms. Geerally speakig, they must be exotic to this coutry ad have the potetial to cause a serious adverse impact o New Zealad s aimal ad plat productio idustries (see Biosecurity 6:4 for details of the criteria). MAF s policy also requires all otifiable orgaisms to be uwated orgaisms so that the provisios of the act are available immediately should a otifiable orgaism be foud here. A recet review of uwated orgaisms affectig aimals has meat that chages are eeded to the curret order i coucil for otifiable orgaisms. (The orgaisms that are to appear i a revised order i coucil were listed i Biosecurity 6:6.) 2 Cost recovery The costs of carryig out a umber of the act s fuctios ca be recovered uder various provisios. The Biosecurity (Costs) Regulatios 1993 outlie the charges to be applied for a umber of biosecurity activities, icludig ispectig ad treatig various categories of risk goods, issuig import health permits, ispectig trasitioal facilities ad supervisio of their operators. These regulatios are beig reviewed ad a amedmet is aticipated this year. Costs may also be recovered directly for a particular fuctio or service uder other provisios. Sectio 135 allows the Director- Geeral of MAF (amog others) to recover the costs of admiisterig the act if moey has ot bee appropriated by parliamet for that particular activity. Sectio 128 also provides a cost-recovery mechaism i the evet that a perso does ot comply with a directio to carry out specified actios or measures. A chief techical officer, pricipal officer of a regioal coucil, or maagemet agecy, may authorise the ecessary actios to be take ad the recover the costs of those actios from the perso to whom the directio was issued. Offeces ad pealties The pealties that apply uder the act vary depedig o the ature of the offece. The most severe pealty for a idividual carries a maximum of five years imprisomet, a fie of up to $100,000, or both. For a corporatio, the maximum pealty is a fie of up to $200,000. These pealties apply to offeces such as kowigly possessig uauthorised goods, or movig orgaisms or other goods i breach of a movemet cotrol otice. The pealties ad offeces are outlied i part VIII of the act. Istat fies at the border A perso who, o arrival at the border, wrogly declares that they do ot possess goods that may pose a biosecurity risk (whether or ot they make that declaratio kowigly) may be fied up to $400. That perso may elect to pay a istat fie of $200 rather tha have the offece heard i court. If the perso does ot elect to pay a istat fie they have oly 14 days withi which to respod. The existece of the istat fie provisio or the paymet of such a fie does ot prevet a prosecutio from beig take uder other offece provisios, if a perso is believed to have breached those provisios as well. For example, a perso who kowigly tries to brig uauthorised goods ito New Zealad may be subject to the more striget pealties discussed above, whether or ot the istat fie provisios have bee applied to them. Sue Cotto, Natioal Maager (Policy Coordiatio), phoe , cottos@maf.govt.z

3 MAF s ew BSE surveillace programme Nervous disease case Farmer rigs vet Vet screes history: Cow > 2 years No-metabolic case If accepted, vet visits property ad completes MAF eurological questioaire. Farmer ad vet paid whe form submitted to MAF If appropriate, cow is euthaased ad either brai or head submitted to laboratory. Vet paid if removes brai, lab paid if it removes brai. Brai (or head) set to participatig laboratories. Laboratory performs histopathological examiatio. Laboratory seds results to vet ad a copy to MAF. Laboratory is paid by MAF o receipt of results. MAF has iitiated a ew surveillace programme for bovie spogiform ecephalopathy (BSE), which will begi i February The effect of the ew programme will be to icrease laboratory examiatio to 300 brais per year from cases of ervous disease i cattle greater tha two years old. MAF s ew BSE surveillace programme has bee developed i respose to a revisio of the iteratioal surveillace ad moitorig programme guidelies, which were adopted by the world orgaisatio for aimal health, the Office Iteratioal des Epizooties or OIE, at its last geeral sessio i May The previous OIE target (set i 1997) was 200 brais per year, but the umbers examied i New Zealad did ot meet this. I brais were examied, ad i 1997, 108. From Jauary to October of 1998 oly 58 cattle brais were examied. Cattle i New Zealad are ot ifected with the BSE aget. However, ay coutry that wats to trade as a BSE-free coutry must udertake a iteratioallyaccepted cotiuous BSE surveillace ad moitorig programme that has bee desiged alog the OIE guidelies. As part of this programme MAF has to esure that brais from cattle which are exhibitig cliical sigs of progressive cetral ervous disease are screeed for histopathological evidece of BSE, ad foud to be egative. MAF has a programme to esure that all brais submitted to aimal health laboratories ad Massey Uiversity for routie diagostic purposes udergo the screeig required by the OIE. This programme also icludes moitorig at slaughterhouses to obtai brais from ay cattle displayig sigs of ervous disease, plus fiacial icetives to ecourage veteriary practitioers to submit brais to laboratories. To icrease the umber of brais examied so the OIE s ew guidelie of 300 cattle brais might be achieved, MAF cosidered the icetive programme had to be redesiged. The umber ad type of fiacial icetives was icreased from their previous levels. Figure 1 depicts how the ew scheme will operate. It has bee developed i cosultatio with the Dairy Cattle Veteriaria s Brach of the New Zealad Veteriary Associatio (NZVA) ad participatig MAF-approved aimal health laboratories. The programme is focusig o dairy cattle, as this segmet of the cattle populatio has the highest degree of cotact with farmers ad veteriarias. The scheme also requires the veteriaria to complete a questioaire, the results of which MAF will use to gai a better uderstadig of the profile of ervous disorders i the New Zealad dairy cattle populatio. MAF will cotiue to operate its curret trasmissible spogiform ecephalopathy (TSE) surveillace icetive programme, i order to provide TSE moitorig of beef cattle, sheep, goats ad deer. For these species, a veteriaria otifies a regioal laboratory if they ecouter a disease for which TSE might reasoably be icluded i the differetial diagosis. The icetives for participaig farmers ad veteriarias i this programme are: Free laboratory brai removal ad histopathological examiatio of brais from ervous disease cases i adult (greater tha two years old) cattle, sheep, goats, ad deer. A $100 credit to the practitioer s laboratory accout wheever a TSE is suspected o cliical grouds ad the appropriate samples are submitted. Roger Polad, Natioal Maager (Surveillace), phoe , poladr@maf.govt.z 3

4 Hoey ad propolis from Pitcair Islad MAF is proposig to allow the importatio of some bee products from Pitcair Islad. A applicatio to export hoey to New Zealad has bee received from the Commissioer of Pitcair Islad. MAF is cosiderig this applicatio i lie with its existig importatio policy for bee products. MAF proposes that a import health stadard for hoey or raw propolis from Pitcair Islad will require certificatio statig: 4 a descriptio of the hoey or propolis product; that it is a atural product produced by the hoey bee, ad comes oly from Pitcair Islad; that Melissococcus pluto ad Paeibacillus larvae larvae (formerly kow as Bacillus larvae) do ot occur o Pitcair Islad. Curret policy New Zealad already imports hoey from a umber of other Pacific coutries: Niue, Papua New Guiea, Samoa, Solomo Islads, Toga ad Tuvalu. The assessmet of the bee disease status ad biosecurity procedures of exportig coutries has ivariably bee performed by New Zealad govermet apicultural officers. Disease status I the case of Pitcair Islad, the access request is supported by the results of a study carried out i 1998 by MAF Quality Maagemet (ow AgriQuality New Zealad). The 1998 survey foud that there were at least 26 maaged hives ad te feral coloies o the islad. Samples from 20 maaged hives ad seve feral coloies were submitted for aalysis at MAF laboratories i New Zealad. Chroic bee paralysis, the greater wax moth, ad halfmoo disorder were foud; all of these are also preset i New Zealad ad ot uder statutory cotrol. The survey also looked for evidece of America foulbrood, Europea foulbrood, chalkbrood, sacbrood, Varroa ad Tropilaelaps mites, but foud oe. With the exceptio of the mites ad moths, the ifectious diseases ca be trasmitted i hoey. However, the absece of the brood diseases o Pitcair meas that hoey ad propolis preset o risks to New Zealad hoey bees. Pitcair The Europea hoey bee Apis mellifera mellifera was thought to have bee first itroduced i the 19 th cetury, ad there were two successful itroductios (each of two hives) of Italia-type hoey bees from New Zealad i 1978 ad Pitcair Islad maitais active biosecurity measures agaist the importatio of hoey, other bee products, used beekeepig appliaces ad live bees. There has bee a official govermet bee officer for about 20 years, ad the curret Quaratie Act ad a active exclusio policy have operated sice April The Pitcair Islad govermet is admiistered by a British Commissioer based i Aucklad. There is a appoited govermet bee officer, but certificatio is actually siged by the islad magistrate o behalf of the govermet. As part of the MAF Quality Maagemet visit, Pitcair beekeepers were traied i a wide rage of bee maagemet skills icludig legislatio, biosecurity, disease recogitio ad cotrol. The diagosis of bee diseases o Pitcair will rely o the skills leared durig this traiig ad the use of New Zealad laboratories for cofirmatio of fidigs. The cotact with AgriQuality is likely to be ogoig, ad icludes further traiig for the isladers. The relatioship with apiculture experts from New Zealad stregthes the reliace that ca be placed o the itegrity of the disease reportig from this relatively small islad idustry. Jim Edwards, Natioal Maager (Iteratioal Aimal Trade), phoe , edwardsj@maf.govt.z The deadlie for commets is 15 March 1998

5 update Draft import health stadard for cosultatio The followig draft import health stadard has bee developed by MAF ad is available for public cosultatio: Aseriforme (duck, goose, swa or muscovy duck) hatchig eggs from Caada A earlier import health stadard (dated 28 March 1996) was withdraw i 1996 pedig the outcome of a review of the import requiremets relatig to ifectious bursal disease (IBD) risk i imported eggs. This import health stadard has ow bee reviewed ad it has bee cofirmed that eggs are ot ivolved i the trasmissio of IBD. Therefore, followig cosultatio this stadard is expected to be available for use after 15 March Jea-Marie Derouet, Techical Advisory Officer (Iteratioal Aimal Trade), phoe , derouetj@maf.govt.z The deadlie for submissios is 15 March 1999 New import health stadards issued The followig ew import health stadards (IHSs) have bee issued by the Chief Veteriary Officer ad are available for use. Ay previous IHSs coverig these combiatios of coutry of origi ad commodity/species have bee revoked. Import health stadard for salmoids for huma cosumptio This IHS was re-issued o 7 Jauary There are o chages to the zoosaitary coditios withi the ew stadard. The ew stadard otifies importers of restrictios o the importatio of commercial cosigmets of trout which are ot related to biosecurity, but result from the Customs Import Prohibitio (Trout) Order The restrictios are effective from 7 Jauary 1999 to 7 July The ew stadard also ackowledges bilateral egotiatios betwee MAF ad the competet authorities i the USA ad Australia, which have resulted i approved zoosaitary certificatio to accompay imports from these coutries. Butterflies from Australia Refereces to veteriaria ad veteriary officer have bee replaced by supervisor. Sheep from South Australia Clause 7.3 has bee altered to ot allow the use of hay or straw as beddig whe trasportig sheep to New Zealad. Oly sterilised peat, soft board or other iert approved products may be used. The followig ew import health stadards (IHSs) have bee issued by the Chief Veteriary Officer ad are available for use. Froze deer by-products from Australia Utaed cattle hides ad skis from New Caledoia Biso from Caada These stadards were otified for public cosultatio i Biosecurity 6 ad are ow curret. Buffalo embryos from the Netherlads This stadard was otified for public cosultatio i Biosecurity 5 ad is ow curret. Kerry Mulquee, Natioal Maager (Import Maagemet), phoe , fax , mulqueek@maf.govt.z Semiar o the SPS agreemet: Have ew tradig rules for agriculture delivered the goods? A MAF semiar i March will take a detailed look at the past ad future of the SPS agreemet, ad what it meas for New Zealad. It s ow four years sice the rules chaged dramatically for tradig i agricultural products, with the advet of the SPS agreemet (the agreemet o the applicatio of saitary ad phytosaitary measures). Now whe importig coutries wat to protect their agricultural health, they must use objective ad sciece-based measures. These measures must be applied oly whe ecessary ad i a cosistet way. But what has the SPS agreemet doe for New Zealad i the past four years? Has it give us the marketig breaks we expected? Has it forced us to take uecessary risks? How have SPS legal disputes chaged our thikig o what the agreemet meas? Where is the SPS agreemet headig as we approach a ew roud of WTO egotiatios? MAF is orgaisig a semiar for leaders i all agricultural idustries, politicias, NGOs, ad ayoe iterested i trade policy ad the future of New Zealad s agricultural markets. Speakers will iclude: the chairma of the World Trade Orgaizatio s SPS committee, which is based i Geeva; from Caada, the presidet of the world orgaisatio for aimal health (the OIE); the admiistrator of the US Departmet of Agriculture s veteriary service; the New Zealad Miister for Iteratioal Trade; leaders of New Zealad exportig ad domestic aimal-based idustries. There will be ample time for discussio after each presetatio. The meetig will be i Welligto, at a veue to be advised, o the morig of Friday 19 March SPS semiar, Aimal Health & Welfare group, MAF Regulatory Authority, PO Box 2526, Welligto, fax , sps@maf.govt.z 5

6 update Mosquito pest maagemet strategy The Miistry of Health is ivitig participatio i the developmet of a atioal mosquito pest maagemet strategy (PMS). This iitiative bega well before the curret cocer about the souther saltmarsh mosquito beig foud i parts of Hawke s Bay, ad oce completed will help to esure that such icursios ca be detected ad cotaied as early as possible. As well as helpig to protect people from serious arboviral diseases, the PMS for exotic mosquitoes of public health sigificace will reduce the likelihood of adverse effects o aimal health. The draft PMS, prepared for the Miistry of Health durig 1998, will be further developed i 1999 before its release for public commet. Teders for PMS developmet work were called by the Miistry of Health at the ed of November 1998 ad closed o 15 Jauary There will also be a opportuity for a limited umber of people to participate i a workshop to assist with developig rules ad other matters ecessary for the effective implemetatio of the PMS. The workshop is likely to be held durig March/April The Miistry of Health would like to hear from those iterested i participatig i the workshop. Hery Dowler, Deputy Chief Techical Officer (Health), Miistry of Health, PO Box 5013, Welligto, phoe , fax , hery_dowler@moh.govt.z Poultry meat risk aalysis Techical review of MAF s draft risk draft aalysis o the importatio of poultry meat is uderway, ad commets are still comig i from the iteratioal reviewers. Depedig o the extet of revisio required followig receipt of reviewers commets, MAF aticipates that the techical review process will ot be completed util early February at the earliest, after which public cosultatio ca begi. The regioal share of vector cotrol operatios i other regios is fuded by various mixes of special or geeral rates collected by regioal coucils. While Otago Regioal Coucil does cotribute some fudig to the TB cotrol programme, this does ot meet the full regioal share of vector cotrol costs. Cattle slaughter levy A ew levy o the slaughter of adult cattle i licesed premises came ito effect o 14 Jauary 1999 uder the Biosecurity (Bovie Tuberculosis: Cattle Levy) Order The levy is oe of the pricipal meas of fudig the TB strategy, ad is to be used by the AHB to fud the testig of cattle for the presece of bovie TB ad atioal vector cotrol operatios to reduce bovie TB levels. This levy replaces a levy uder the Meat Act 1981 ad is imposed o the same basis as that levy. The AHB is able to set the levy aually but the maximum rate that ca be imposed is $10 per head of adult cattle (exclusive of GST). TB testig cost recovery The Biosecurity (Deer ad Other Testig Costs) Regulatios 1998 came ito effect o 19 Jauary These regulatios provide for the recovery of costs for testig deer for the presece of bovie TB, i the evet that a deer farmer fails to arrage for deer to be tested after beig give the opportuity to do so. They also provide for the recovery of costs (e.g. musterig costs) whe a cattle or deer farmer fails to comply with a directio to preset ay aimal for testig. The ability to recover testig costs i the evet that a cattle farmer fails to arrage for cattle to be tested is ot covered by these regulatios, because such costs are covered by the cattle slaughter levy. Additioal legislatio Further legislatio to support the TB strategy is expected to be passed durig 1999, implemetig a idetificatio scheme for cattle ad deer (see Biosecurity 8: 11). Sue Cotto, Natioal Maager (Policy Coordiatio), phoe , cottos@maf.govt.z 6 Stuart MacDiarmid, Natioal Maager (Agricultural Security), phoe , macdiarmids@maf.govt.z Legislatio to support bovie TB strategy Three pieces of legislatio came ito force i Jauary 1999 to support the Aimal Health Board s (AHB s) atioal bovie tuberculosis pest maagemet strategy. The strategy came ito effect o 1 July 1998 uder the Biosecurity (Natioal Bovie Tuberculosis Pest Maagemet Strategy) Order Otago lad levy The Biosecurity (Bovie Tuberculosis: Otago Lad Levy) Order 1998 came ito effect o 14 Jauary 1999, ad imposes a levy o rateable rural property i the Otago regio that is four hectares or more i area. The levy is to be collected by the AHB to fud the regioal share of the cost of vector cotrol operatios to reduce levels of bovie TB. The levy is to be applied differetially accordig to the type of vector cotrol operatio carried out i the area. Operatioal pla for TB The Aimal Health Board has prepared its operatioal pla for the atioal bovie tuberculosis pest maagemet strategy. The pla sets out the board s operatig arragemets, disease ad vector cotrol policies, ad budgeted icome ad expediture for 1998/1999. The pla is a requiremet uder the Biosecurity Act 1993, ad must be reviewed ad reported o aually. The operatioal pla was submitted to the Associate Miister for Food, Fibre, Biosecurity ad Border Cotrol for his assessmet, ad was cosidered cosistet with the TB pest maagemet strategy. The Associate Miister is able to disallow a pla if he cosiders it to be icosistet with the strategy. Copies are available from the Aimal Health Board for $15. Nick Hacox, Aimal Health Board, PO Box 3412, Welligto, phoe , fax , hacox@ahb.org.z

7 New biosecurity agecy Biosecurity issues will come ito sharper focus with the establishmet of a biosecurity agecy withi MAF. The Miister for Food, Fibre, Biosecurity ad Border Cotrol, Joh Luxto, aouced i December that MAF Regulatory Authority will be split ito two agecies from 1 July Oe will be a food assurace agecy ad the other a biosecurity agecy. The move to set up a separate biosecurity agecy follows a govermet decisio that MAF should cotiue to maage biosecurity risks to primary productio sectors ad admiister the Biosecurity Act, but also udertake a biosecurity coordiatio role. The biosecurity agecy will be resposible for border cotrol, quaratie services, export assurace, pest ad disease surveillace ad emergecy respose capabilities. It will also be resposible for providig aimal ad plat health assuraces to New Zealad s tradig parters, developig operatioal ad regulatory policy, ad risk maagemet. The ew agecy will cosult widely with other govermet departmets ad stakeholders. The group director of the biosecurity agecy will be charged with maitaiig ad ehacig New Zealad s positio as a iovative leadig exporter of primary products while balacig the eeds of the eviromet ad huma ad aimal health. The positios of group directors for both the biosecurity ad food assurace agecies are curretly beig advertised, ad appoitmets should be made by early March. The appoitees will have resposibility for establishig the two agecies by 1 July The food assurace agecy is beig established i respose to the govermet s aim of creatig greater cosumer cofidece i food safety. The agecy will combie resposibility for food safety i the domestic ad export food supplies, ad will ecompass staff from MAF ad the Miistry of Health i a sigle food agecy based withi MAF. The biosecurity ad food assurace agecies will overlap i the areas of iteratioal techical trade policy ad risk maagemet methodologies, ad will avoid duplicatio by sharig commo resource groups such as compliace ad eforcemet. Barry O Neil, Chief Veteriary Officer, phoe , oeilb@maf.govt.z Review of border services ad deferral of border cost recovery Two decisios o the delivery ad fudig of border cotrol services were aouced i December by the Miister for Food, Fibre, Biosecurity ad Border Cotrol, Joh Luxto; a review of all border operatios ad a delay i some cost-recovery provisios. Firstly, Cabiet has decided to establish a idepedet review of the govermet s operatios at the border. The review will commece i February 1999, ad will focus o the efficiecy ad effectiveess of border cotrol arragemets. It is iteded that a report will be ready for Cabiet by 1 December Alteratives to the curret delivery arragemets will be cosidered, icludig the desirability of amalgamatig all govermet border fuctios ito a sigle border agecy. I his aoucemet, the miister stated he is seekig a future-focused approach to the review, which takes ito accout the govermet s desire to esure protectio of New Zealad ad visitors to New Zealad from biosecurity ad other threats, while facilitatig the safe ad efficiet movemet of goods, people ad craft across the border. The secod aoucemet relates to the recovery of passeger ad craft border clearace costs. Followig a decisio take i December 1997 to recover these costs, border cotrol agecies have bee discussig with affected parties how to implemet a chargig regime. I September 1998 the govermet released a implemetatio proposal ad sought idustry commet. A prelimiary aalysis of submissios has idetified some potetially sigificat difficulties with implemetig the proposals. O balace, these difficulties are largely related to timig, but the Cabiet has cocluded they are sufficiet to prevet itroductio of the preferred locatiospecific cost recovery by the iteded start-up date of 1 July Implemetatio of passeger ad craft clearace cost recovery will therefore be deferred util 1 July Officials will also be carryig out work o a broader rage of implemetatio optios. Oe optio the Cabiet is particularly iterested i explorig is the potetial for recoverig the cost of air passeger clearace through a charge o passeger tickets. The Cabiet is very aware of the iequity betwee fudig arragemets for border clearace at regioal airports (where costs are already recovered) ad major iteratioal airports (where services are curretly paid by the taxpayer). This issue will be further cosidered by Cabiet shortly. Fially, there are a umber of very importat ad difficult issues to be addressed durig 1999 i relatio to the delivery ad fudig of border cotrol services. The miister ad a umber of his colleagues will meet with idustry represetatives soo to begi discussios o a way forward. Chris Baddeley, Team Leader (Biosecurity Policy), MAF Policy, PO Box 2526, Welligto, phoe , fax , baddeleyc@maf.govt.z Registratio of trasitioal facilities MAF Regulatory Authority is curretly updatig the registratio of trasitioal facilities, ad whe the process is completed will publish the full list of registered facilities o its web site. At 18 Jauary 1999 there were 421 trasitioal facilities registered. The icrease i umber of trasitioal facilities results from amedmets to the Biosecurity Act November 1997, which required risk goods ad ucleared goods to be placed ito trasitioal facilities. Kerry Mulquee, Natioal Maager (Import Maagemet), phoe , mulqueek@maf.govt.z 7

8 How to cotact us DIRECTORY Iteratioal aimal health regulatios Everyoe listed at the ed of a article as a cotact poit, uless otherwise idicated, is part of the Miistry of Agriculture ad Forestry Aimal Health & Welfare Group. All MAF staff ca be cotacted by e.mail, ad the stadard format for all addresses is surameiitial@maf.govt.z. For example, Ralph Hopcroft would be hopcroftr@maf.govt.z. (There are slight exceptios for people with similar ames, but these addresses are give where ecessary.) PO Box 2526, Welligto, New Zealad. (+64) (switchboard) ºmost staff have direct-dial lies, which are listed where available (+64) (Aimal Health & Welfare group, except Chief Veteriary Officer) (+64) (Chief Veteriary Officer) ASB Bak House, 101 The Terrace, Welligto. update Hoey from Wester Australia These aimal health regulatios have bee either proposed or implemeted by members of the World Trade Orgaizatio, ad have bee otified uder the SPS agreemet (the WTO agreemet o the applicatio of Coutry Referece Date otified Summary of cotet saitary ad phytosaitary measures) betwee 19 November 1998 ad 12 Jauary A Adrew Matheso, SPS Notificatio Authority coordiator, phoe , sps@maf.govt.z Austria 1 7/12/98 Bovie aimals ad their meat, seme ad other amed aimal products origiatig from Switzerlad Chile 31 8/1/99 Bovie seme ad BSE Chile 25 add1 14/12/98 Extesio of commet deadlie to 9 Jauary 1999 Chile 27 add1 14/12/98 Extesio of commet deadlie to 9 Jauary 1999 EEC 67 10/12/98 Farmed ratite meat ad Crimea Cogo haemorrhagic fever EEC 69 8/1/99 Aimal casigs from third coutries EEC 64 corr1 15/12/98 G/SPS/N/ITS/1 icorrectly circulated as G/SPS/N/EEC/64 Italy 2 4/12/98 Live bovies, boe i beef, offal ad meal of aimal origi from Switzerlad Korea 53 14/12/98 Aimal products from foreig coutries Netherlads 35 4/12/98 Bovie aimals from Switzerlad Netherlads 36 8/12/98 Cost recovery whe rederig specified high-risk material Netherlads 37 8/12/98 Good maufacture practice (GMP) for aimal feed Netherlads 38 8/12/98 Good maufacture practice (GMP) for aimal feed Polad 15 8/12/98 Health certificate for zoo aimals, orametal fish, reptiles, amphibias ad pigeos Polad 6 add.1 9/12/98 Coutries from which raw hides ad skis may be imported South Africa 5 7/12/98 Theileria parva bovis testig for cattle from Zimbabwe USA 140 8/12/98 Exemptio from testig for dourie ad gladers i horses from Australia ad New Zealad USA /12/98 Poultry products ad exotic Newcastle disease USA /1/99 Rumiats ad rumiat products from Liechtestei Pest summit: towards 2004 MAF Regulatory Authority has received a request from the Australia Quaratie Ispectio Service (AQIS) for access to the New Zealad market for hoey from Wester Australia. Importatio of Australia hoey has ot bee permitted because of the risk of importig Melissococcus pluto, the cause of the disease Europea foulbrood (EFB) which does ot occur i New Zealad hoey bees. The case for market access for hoey from Wester Australia rests o that state beig free of EFB. AQIS has provided iformatio o WA s EFB surveillace programme ad effective state border cotrol measures to maitai its EFB-free status. MAF ivites commet o the AQIS iformatio. Jim Edwards, Natioal Maager Iteratioal Aimal Trade, phoe , fax , edwardsj@maf.govt.z The deadlie for submissios is 15 March 1999 The third atioal pest summit is to be held i Palmersto North from 7 9 April The summit aims to examie issues facig the biosecurity idustry both ow ad i the ext five years. It will provide a forum to icrease awareess of curret ad future issues, pla a agreed idustry directio ad develop future strategies i pest maagemet. The summit is hosted by the Maawatu-Wagaui Regioal Coucil, ad registratio forms are available from them. Wedy Butcher, Maawatu-Wagaui Regioal Coucil, Private Bag 11025, Palmersto North, phoe , fax , wedy.butcher@mwrc.govt.z Photo credits: Adrew Matheso; cover, p4 8