Dr Clive Dalton
Border Security
I was interested to
read compliments for our Border Security from a visiting Australian,
and see his assurance that increasing visitor numbers will not increase threats
of exotic disease incursions. But
then I heard former Grasslands scientist John Lancashire argue the opposite,
and say that more visitors and increasing free trade deals would add massively
to the threats. I’d put my money
on Lancashire. The three things
that scare me are smugglers, containers and yachts.
Visitors who are well
informed by responsible travel agents, and who read and comply with the cards
you fill in before landing are not a worry. And neither are visitors and returning Kiwis who understand how
threats to farming could put us out of business.
Smugglers
But sadly there are
always travelers who deliberately won’t comply with what they see as
unnecessary hassle and delay after a long flight, along with the few who see
‘beating the system’ as a game they can boast about afterwards. These are really
small-time smugglers.
But the big-time
smugglers are the real danger. I got
a big scare once when working for MAFQual’s Ag Quarantine Service, helping to
get their message across to the public about what could be brought into NZ and
what could not. It was no small
challenge. I’ve never worked with
such a dedicated group – and technology such as scanning and sniffer dogs must
have made things easier since then.
The Ag Quarantine
Officers at Auckland opened a container of sewing machines which all looked
good at the doorway. But when some vigilant officer dug deeper inside, in the
middle he found legs of uncooked pork and eggs – presumably a gift for an appreciative
family friend! I learned then that
food has more than a nutritional value – it has ethnic and religious significance
too, which was where big risks come in.
Shipping containers
 |
| Source: Internet |
Containers must be a
nightmare, simply because they are increasing and there’s no way every one can
be checked. Their nooks and
crannies are ideal for insects (especially ants) or seeds even after
cleaning. Add to that what’s
hiding underneath such as massive tropical snails that would eat up our
horticulture industry if they got going.
As trade increases, container
ships are getting bigger and pressure on turnaround times increase, so even if
we had an army checking them it’s probably always going to be a high risk area. Border security staff have a mammoth
job to do so we need plenty of them.
Currently ships to New Zealand carry 4000 containers soon to be updated to carry 6000. The Panama Canal is being widened to take future ships carrying 23,000 containers. In 2011 New Zealand had a graphic example of the environmental hazards that even small container ships can cause when they hit reefs and spill their cargo near shore, never mind what they bring when the containers get unloaded.
Yachts
 |
| Source: Internet |
The other scary
experience I remember was the business of checking yachts, which I didn’t
realise arrive all around our massive coastline at all hours of the day and
night, and rely on the honesty of their owners to report to the authorities at
some recognised arrival point for quarantine and customs checking.
The owners of the
yacht I went on with the Ag Quarantine officer at a recognised tourist port in
Northland were most cooperative. They handed over their potted flowers they’d
got in Fiji, said they had no fresh meat (or any other meat) and didn’t have a
ship’s cat or dog to go into quarantine while in port.
The MAF officer
thanked them and they agreed for an inspection of their tiny cupboards in the
sharp end of the yacht where we found tinned beef from Argentina, which the
yachties didn’t realise was a problem.
We relieved them of this and checked that all their dry provisions were
insect free. These were cooperative travellers who realised the importance of
our laws, but can we assume all of those who sail to our fair land are like
this?
No comments:
Post a Comment