Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ, Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand, Deer Industry New Zealand, NZPork, and the Meat Industry Association of New Zealand signed the operational agreement alongside the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) at Fieldays today.

The agreement formalises how the seven partners will work together on Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) readiness, and how to respond should the disease arrive here.

It sets out how the costs of FMD readiness and response activities will be shared between the Government and the livestock industry.

It also creates legally binding participation of industry in decision-making, ensuring that farmers’ interests, knowledge and input is heard.

DairyNZ Chief Executive and inaugural Chair of the Foot and Mouth Disease Council Campbell Parker welcomed the signing.

“Biosecurity is a key priority for DairyNZ as it helps us to power more productive and resilient farms – with dairy farmers the biggest sector investors in the biosecurity system,” he said.

“Dealing with an outbreak of FMD would cost the livestock sector billions, and we want to be involved in deciding how those costs would be best spent.”

Beef + Lamb New Zealand chair Kate Acland said the wide sector support for this agreement was reflected in a clear ‘yes’ vote from sheep and beef farmers, following the high-profile voting campaign undertaken by Beef + Lamb New Zealand over April and May.

“We needed their formal approval to sign the agreement and our farmers told us they want to have a voice in decision-making about readiness and response activities and funding,” she said.

Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand Executive Director Kimberly Crewther said today’s agreement signing is a major milestone after over a decade of engagement to establish the foundations for partnership in addressing this most significant biosecurity risk for the livestock sectors.

“Recent overseas FMD outbreaks, including in Europe, reinforce the importance of getting to this point and ensuring government and industries’ combined resources, knowledge, and capability can be deployed in the most efficient and effective way to reduce risk and impacts.”

Deer Industry New Zealand CEO Rhys Griffiths said the legally binding agreement gives the deer industry a seat at the table, which is vital for representing the voices of our farmers.

“Such representation is crucial, not just for the deer industry but for the wider primary industries and the channeling of farmer perspectives to government.”

NZPork Chief Executive Brent Kleiss said “NZPork is pleased pig farmers will have a seat at the table in planning and decision-making so that our sector’s unique needs are understood and addressed as we shape a co-ordinated national response.”

Meat Industry Association of New Zealand Chief Executive Sirma Karapeeva said “the agreement has support across the agricultural sector and shows a clear commitment of both Government and industry to work collaboratively on FMD.”

As part of the agreement the livestock sector partners will meet 40% of readiness costs, and 15% of response costs which are capped at $450 million over the term of the 11-year agreement.

The Crown’s reference exposure is $2.5 billion for responding to an FMD outbreak, but this could run higher in the very unlikely event of more than one outbreak during the term of the Agreement.