ISSUE 16 DECEMBER 2015
Welcome Welcome to our December 2015 issue of Bug Business, the Biosecurity best practice newsletter, published quarterly by The AgriChain Centre since 2009. Providing an extensive range of industry support initiatives which assist our clients with clear and simple solutions to meet your Biosecurity compliance requirements. IN THIS ISSUE NZ Biosecurity Detector Dogs Queensland Fruit Fly Update Report A Find Biosecurity Pest Alert - Australian Subterranean Termite Meeting MPI Biosecurity Requirements Biosecurity Support Services Initiatives HOW THE AGRICHAIN CENTRE CAN HELP Protecting New Zealand from unwanted pests and diseases is everyone's responsibility. As an importer operating a Biosecurity Transitional Facility, your company must also meet certain obligations under the Biosecurity Act. The AgriChain Centre is New Zealand's leading provider of Biosecurity services to the Sea Freight Import Industry. Our experienced team has extensive knowledge of Biosecurity and has developed practical and cost effective solutions to meet your business requirements. MPI Biosecurity training dates - Jan & feb 2016 Accredited Persons COURSE Training Calendar LOCATION January 2016 February 2016 North Shore (Albany) 26 10, 23 South Auckland (Mt Wellington) 13, 20, 27 3, 10, 17, 24 West Auckland (Henderson) - 25 Hamilton - 25 Tauranga 21 18 Napier - 4 Palmerston North - 4 Wellington 21 18 Nelson - - Christchurch 19 11 Dunedin - - TRANSITIONAL FACILITY OPERATOR WORKSHOP Training Calendar LOCATION January 2016 February 2016 North Shore (Albany) 20 3, 17 South Auckland (Mt Wellington) 19, 27 4, 11, 24 West Auckland (Henderson) - 25 Hamilton - 25 Tauranga 21 - Napier - 4 Palmerston North - 4 Wellington 21 18 Nelson - - Christchurch - 11 Dunedin - - Call Free for all bookings or enquiries 0800 247 424 or email us: info@agrichain-centre.com Additional courses may be scheduled as required. Classes will be run on-site for larger companies if required. BOOK ONLINE: www.agrichain-centre.com/training-course-bookings/ Cover pic source: www.theshepherdsrealm.com 2. Bug Business December 2015 The AgriChain Centre End of Year Closing Period: The AgriChain Centre will be available over the festive season for urgent Biosecurity enquiries and MPI Biosecurity Training bookings for January 2016 and beyond. We are operating a skeleton staff over the festive period. If we do not answer your call first time, please leave a message and we will call you back. We will be open for business as usual from the 5th January 2016. We would like to thank you for your patronage throughout the year and wish you a safe holiday season.
THE NOSE IS EVERYTHING! They never get sick of playing hide and seek and with noses that detect smell 100,000 times better than ours, the beagle hound is the perfect breed to use as a Biosecurity Detector Dog. It all started in the USA in 1984 when the USDA set up a pilot programme called the Beagle Brigade. The dogs were trained to work among passengers at the baggage collection points of international airports. They were trained to respond passively or to sit when indicating a find and were rewarded with food for correct responses. Today, beagles have become the most common breed of Biosecurity detector dog with programmes set up in the USA, Canada, Australia, and here in New Zealand. MPI purchased their first beagles 20 years ago in 1995 and since then they have proven themselves as a very effective Biosecurity tool for keeping New Zealand free of pests and diseases. The Detector Dog Programme has a National Training Centre in Auckland for training and testing new and existing detector dog teams. The centre houses up to 44 dogs and has its own breeding programme. This summer, in response to ever increasing passenger numbers and fruit fly outbreaks in Australia and the Pacific, MPI has 24 new dog teams graduating from their training in December. This will be the largest number of dog teams to graduate at one time. MPI's Detector Dog Programme has also helped set up programmes in other countries. It has supplied dogs and trained handlers for Argentina, South Korea, Canada, the United States and elsewhere. Beagles are the most common breed of detector dog that MPI uses, however, they are currently trialling harrier hound puppies with the potential to breed giant Biosecurity detector dogs! Picture: www.dogs.petbreeds.com WHAT DO THEY DO? Dogs are trained to find: Plants and plant products e.g. fruits & vegetables, flowers & bulbs, leaves and seeds Animals and animal products e.g. meat, eggs, live birds, or reptiles. WHERE ARE THEY? Detector dog teams work at all international ports of entry such as: International airports Ports The International Mail Centre in Auckland International cargo companies. Detector dogs are also used to help inspect the luggage of cruise ship passengers arriving from overseas destinations. Harrier hounds look like beagles but are much taller, making it easier to sniff travellers' backpacks and baggage stacked up on airport trolleys. This means they don't have to lift their front feet off the ground to check passengers that are carrying their bags up high. MPI s Detector Dog Programme relies on volunteer foster families to raise future detector dogs. If you want to find out what's involved to become a foster family go to: www.mpi.govt.nz/fundingand-programmes/other-programmes/volunteerprogrammes/detector-dog-puppy-foster-families/ By Viv Cooper Biosecurity Consultant at The AgriChain Centre Picture: www.cdn.3news.co.nz Bug Business December 2015 The AgriChain Centre 3.
QUEENSLAND FRUIT FLY UPDATE Background: The Queensland Fruit Fly is a native of Australia where it is considered to be the country s most serious insect pest of fruit and some vegetable crops. There have been a number of Queensland Fruit Fly incursions in the past five years in both the Auckland and Whangarei areas. In February 2015 a single male Fruit Fly was detected in a MPI surveillance trap in the Grey Lynn suburb of Auckland. Subsequently, on 20 February, a small isolated population was found in a home garden nearby in the same suburb. This is the first time that a breeding population of the Queensland Fruit Fly had been found in New Zealand. MPI immediately established two circular control areas of 1.5km and 3.5km, extending out from the location of Fruit Fly finds and asked that fruit and certain vegetables are not moved out of this area. DECEMBER UPDATE: MPI is pleased to announce that New Zealand is once again Fruit Fly free after an announcement on the 4th of December that the eradication programme has been successful. Fruit Flies tend to be inactive over winter but as the weather warms up into spring, the eradication programme ramped up once again within the 1.5km controlled area. Frequent checking of the surveillance traps continued in this zone through the spring months to confirm there were no Fruit Flies left. The eradication announcement means that the controlled zone will be lifted and residents will once again be able to move produce out of the area. It also means the MPI Biosecurity Bins, which have become a part of the local landscape during the year, will be removed. While the eradication programme is finishing, the ongoing Fruit Fly Surveillance Programme will continue. This programme includes over 7,500 pheromone traps across the whole country and ensures early detection for any Fruit Fly incursion in the future. A big thank you to all residents in the controlled area for your vigilance in protecting the New Zealand Horticulture Sector and our Economy! By Rob Mulholland South Island Manager at The AgriChain Centre Pictures: www.biosecurity.govt.nz REPORT A FIND Remember to report all live contamination to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) free Exotic Pest and Disease hotline immediately on 0800 80 99 66. We are also keen to understand Biosecurity finds. Transitional Facility Operators and Accredited Persons have you recently found pests or contaminants in or on imported sea containers, machinery and vehicles? PLEASE POST YOUR PICTURES OR COMMENTS ABOUT YOUR RECENT FIND ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/the.agrichain.centre 4. Bug Business December 2015 The AgriChain Centre
Biosecurity Pest Alert Australian Subterranean Termite Termites which are native to New Zealand are generally not considered a significant pest. The same cannot be said about these critters which have arrived from Australia! WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE? Different types of termites are within the colony and can look very different from each other but: They are generally around 4-7 mm long and look like a white ant Workers are completely white and soldiers have brown heads and long jaws There are also winged mating termites with bodies around 7.5mm long and wings that are 11.5 mm long A characteristic of their presence is mudding where termites create mud tunnels up walls and across open ground. WHAT DO THEY DO? These subterranean termites can cause significant damage to wood in any form including: Framing in homes Fences Furniture Even live trees Telephone poles, railway sleepers and wooden packaging. These last items are the most likely ways that they have arrived in the country. Changes to timber and wood packaging requirements have now reduced the risk of termites arriving but there are a number of recent infestations already here! WHERE HAVE THEY BEEN FOUND? Australian Subterranean Termites have been eradicated in several places but there are still colonies and active eradication/monitoring programmes in other sites: Nelson First found in 2009 and likely to be declared eradicated in 2016 Pukekohe First found in 2010 and likely to be declared eradicated in 2016 Point Wells First found in 2012 and likely to be declared eradicated in 2018 Drury First found in 2012 and likely to be declared eradicated in 2018 Mangere First found in 2013 and likely to be eradicated in 2019 Walton First found in 2013 and likely to be eradicated in 2019 Omaha first found in 2014 and on-going Picture: www.termitesolutionsvictoria.com Picture: www.stuff.co.nz The most recent find in Omaha in September 2014 is still at the pre-elimination stage where the termites are still active and MPI is in the process of eliminating them. If you are in Omaha or nearby areas over the summer make sure you are aware of this biosecurity treat and don t take any wooden things out of the Omaha area that could be infected. WHAT CAN WE DO? If you do spot something that looks like the Australian Subterranean Termite or notice the mudding, make sure you call MPI on the Live Pests Hotline 0800 80 99 66. Don t disturb the colony as this can spread the problem. By Phil McLarin Biosecurity Consultant at The AgriChain Centre HOW YOU CAN HELP: Please report sightings of the above pests by ringing MPI on 0800 80 99 66 Bug Business December 2015 The AgriChain Centre 5.
Meeting MPI Biosecurity Requirements In accordance with the Biosecurity Act and the Standard for General Transitional Facilities for Uncleared Goods (TFGEN) there are a number of requirements that Transitional Facility Operators need to be mindful of. In particular: 1. Transitional Facility Signage Requirements: A Transitional Facility must have a prominent sign or signs identifying the area as a Transitional Facility under the Biosecurity Act. Signs must warn that entry is restricted to permitted persons only. Signs are not permitted to display the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) logo or the acronym 'MPI' as their use is restricted by the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981. We have a range of signage options available if you do not currently have the necessary signage: www. agrichain-centre.com/biosecurity/biosecurity-tfosignage-and-kits/ 2. Biosecurity Equipment Requirements: A Transitional Facility must provide the necessary equipment to check and clean containers, including: a broom, dustpan and brush, and a biosecurity bin to put quarantine waste in. This equipment must be solely used for the purposes of Biosecurity processes only. How can we assist you? Please visit our website for details of the full Biosecurity Kit we have available for purchase. www.agrichain-centre.com/biosecurity/ biosecurity-tfo-signage-and-kits/ Or Call The Team on 09 414 4536 or 0800 247 424 to discuss your options. How to place an order? Please complete our online Order Form and fax back to us on 09-414-6140 or email: info@agrichain-centre.com 6. Bug Business December 2015 The AgriChain Centre
Biosecurity Support Services InitIatives BIOSECURITY SERVICES Here at The AgriChain Centre we offer a wide range of services in the Biosecurity area including: Accredited Persons Training Transitional Facility Operator Training Setting up a new Transitional Facility Ensuring compliance for existing Transitional Facilities Review and update of Operating Procedures Guidance with Internal Audits Site Assessments by our knowledgeable Biosecurity Team Biosecurity signage Biosecurity equipment Ongoing Biosecurity support and Biosecurity updates Feel free to give us a call and we can discuss your requirements and ensure you are compliant. Ring us on 0800-247-424 or email us: info@agrichain-centre.com For more infomation you can also visit our website: www.agrichain-centre.com/biosecurity/ OUR FREE BIOSECURITY APP We have developed an APP which provides answers to frequently asked questions! To download this Free App go to: https://apps.appmachine. com/agrichaincentre keeping in touch Please LIKE our Facebook page to stay up to date with the courses, advice and solutions we offer - plus relevant news articles and more. We re also on LinkedIn. www.facebook.com/ the.agrichain.centre www.linkedin.com/company/ the-agrichain-centre-ltd What sets us apart? We pride ourselves on offering: Fixed cost (no hidden extra charges) Interactive and practical classes - learning from each others' experiences Easy to understand - the science is converted into layman's terms The AgriChain Centre also has strong FOOD SAFETY and TRACEABILITY expertise. We would be happy to assist you with your needs in that area of your business. www.agrichain-centre.com/food-safety/ Publisher s Contact Details: The AgriChain Centre Ltd PO Box 101-245, NSMC, Auckland 0745, New Zealand. Telephone: +64-9-414-4536 or 0800-247-424. Facsimile: +64-9-414-6140. www.agrichain-centre.com Dr Hans Maurer Publisher Debbie Woods Publication Manager dwoods@agrichain-centre.com Lisa Ritchie Media Co-ordinator lritchie@agrichain-centre.com Bug Business December 2015 The AgriChain Centre 7.