199.103 Animals and the Environment - Biosecurity

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the key concepts, government agencies, major disease threats, and farm management practices discussed in the lecture on New Zealand biosecurity.

Biosecurity

The protection of an environment from biological threats, occurring at international, national, regional, and farm levels.

MPI

The Ministry for Primary Industries, which includes Biosecurity New Zealand and focuses on stopping pests and diseases at the border and managing those already present.

Biosecurity Act 1993

The primary legislation for managing biosecurity in New Zealand, which is currently being revised.

Department of Conservation (DOC)

The government agency responsible for the control of introduced species in New Zealand.

Biosecurity Investigation and Diagnostic Centre

The branch of MPI that conducts approximately $750$ formal investigations annually based on the roughly $10,000$ suspected pests and diseases reported by New Zealanders.

Economic Risk of Biosecurity

The weakening of earning potential by reducing productivity of commercial species, limiting export market access, degrading tourism areas, and requiring costly control programs.

Environmental Risk of Biosecurity

Threats that endanger native species and upset ecosystems by competing for food/water, causing disease outbreaks, or causing land erosion.

Way of Life Risk of Biosecurity

Negative impacts such as travel restrictions, destroying wilderness areas, spoiling waterways, and reducing animal or fishing stocks.

Border Clearance Failure Rate

MPI staff inspect close to $50,000$ import consignments annually, and about $20\%$ of them fail biosecurity requirements.

Animal Health Laboratory (Wallaceville)

A national laboratory that processes $37,000$ diagnostic tests a year for animal health surveillance.

Plant Health and Environment Laboratories

Located in Auckland and Christchurch, these facilities identify $1,000$ diseases and $6,000$ bugs per year.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)

An acute, highly contagious virus infecting cloven-hooved animals such as cows, pigs, sheep, goats, deer, alpaca, and llama; predicted to cost New Zealand $\$10\text{ billion}$ if an outbreak occurs.

Fruit fly (QLD)

One of the biggest threats to NZ horticulture; a $2019$ discovery in Auckland triggered an $18\text{ million dollar}$ response that lasted until February $2020$.

Varroa mite ($V. destructor$)

Established in NZ in $2000$, it is the leading cause of hive failure and costs the apiculture industry between $\$11.5$ and $\$25.7\text{ million}$ per year.

Mycoplasma bovis

A bacterium first detected in New Zealand in $2017$ in a South Canterbury dairy herd; it causes mastitis, abortion, pneumonia, and arthritis in cattle but does not infect humans.

NAIT

The National Animal Identification and Tracing system, New Zealand's identification program for cattle and deer.

One Health

An integrated approach that links environmental health, human health, and animal health.

On-farm Biosecurity

Risk management measures focusing on health, hygiene (washing hands/boots), pest control, and screening the disease status of new livestock.

Mātauranga Māori

Traditional Māori knowledge of plant health which is acknowledged and promoted by New Zealand in its biosecurity efforts.

FAO Global Loss Estimate

The estimate that up to $40\%$ of global food crops are lost to plant pests and diseases, totaling more than $\text{US}\,\$220\text{ billion}$ in lost trade each year.