Transcript Growing and protecting New Zealand

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Carol Barnao
Deputy Director-General, Standards
Today…
• The new MAF – our strategy
• Standards Branch structure and key
responsibilities
• The Food Bill – where is it at; what are the issues
and what we are doing about it
• Our relationship with you – now and the future
• Question time
Our strategy 2030
Our vision
Growing and protecting New Zealand
Our focus
• Protecting from biological risk
• Maximising export opportunities
• Improving sector productivity
• Increasing sustainable resource use
Our approach
• Enabling
• Partnering
The right kind of organisation
• Agile, informed and adaptable
• Continuously improving our services
• Less bureaucratic
• Focusing on relationships and results,
developing our people, making informed
decisions and delivering on our obligations to
Māori
Our structure
Director-General
Wayne McNee
Office of the Director-General
Dan Bolger
Standards
Carol Barnao
Corporate Services
Nigel Prince
Māori Primary Sector Partnerships
Ben Dalton
Policy
Paul Stocks
Resource Management and Programmes
Scott Gallacher
Compliance and Response
Andrew Coleman
Verification and Systems
Roger Smith
Standards branch structure
Deputy Director-General
Carol Barnao
Director, Market Assurance
Tim Knox
Director, Science and Risk Assessment
Steve Hathaway
Director, Animal and Animal Products
Matthew Stone
Director, Systems, Support and ACVM
Debbie Morris
Director, Plants, Food and Environment
Peter Thomson
Executive Assistant
Adele Gilliver
Linking us to the organisational strategy
• The Standards branch supports the delivery of the
MAF organisational strategy by developing cost
effective and fit for purpose regulatory and non
regulatory interventions that:
– enable market access for New Zealand’s primary
products, including food
– assure the integrity, safety and reputation of
New Zealand’s primary products, including food
Linking us to the organisational strategy
• Partner with stakeholder to facilitate innovative
approaches to grow New Zealand’s exports and
meet emerging challenges
• Protect New Zealand through biosecurity and
food safety risk management
Plants Food and Environment Directorate
Director Plants Food and
Environment
Peter Thomson
Manager
Food and Beverage
Glen Neal
Manager Food Production
and Processing
Kay Shapland
Manager Biosecurity and
Environment
Paul Hallett
Manager Domestic and
Joint Food Standards
Cherie Flynn
Manager Fresh Produce
Shiroma Sathyapala
Manager Import and
Export Plants
Stephen Butcher
Manager Plant and Plant
Products
Bryan Rose
Manager Plant Exports
Karen Sparrow
Key accountabilities
• establish regulatory and non regulatory food safety and
biosecurity interventions for
– the production, processing, handling and sale of food
within New Zealand
– imports of plants, including plant containment facilities,
plant products and inanimate goods
– transitional facilities, and border and marine pathways
– the export of plants, plant products, organic products,
food and beverages
• implementation of the Food Bill
Key accountabilities
• enable implementation of Australia New Zealand
Joint Food Standards in New Zealand
• establish robust and efficient mechanisms for
partnering with stakeholders and manage key
relationships with industry stakeholders
• contribute to negotiation of import and export
requirements with counter-part Competent
Authorities and the branch’s other international
functions
The Food Bill
• Result of many years work – Domestic
Food Review
• What are we trying to achieve?
– Safe and suitable food is sold
– Increased clarity for business, including
greater consistency across the country
– Lower compliance costs for business
The Food Bill
• Government is expecting that
– requirements set in law will be at the minimum
level necessary to achieve our objectives
– fees and charges associated with these
requirements will also align with this
philosophy
– the level of requirements applied to a business
will be commensurate with the level of risk
associated with what they are doing
Food Bill – where is it at?
• Awaiting second reading by Parliament
– has been waiting to progress since Dec 2010
• Is currently low on the Parliamentary Order Paper
HOWEVER
• Is No 1 legislative priority for Minister for Food
Safety
• Is in top 3 legislatives priorities for MAF
What are the issues?
• Progressing the Bill was not a top priority for Minister in 2011 –
other portfolio responsibilities; Christchurch; the election
She is now fully engaged
• Internet and email campaigns against the Bill – commenced from
the USA in late 2011 – a vocal minority and the internet gives them
a platform to broadcast their views
– Since last December over 500 letters and emails
– On-line petition
• Significant media (print and radio) comment much of it has been
negative and a lot of scaremongering
– Has been challenging to get our story on the truth about the Bill
picked up, especially through social media…
What are the issues?
• A lot of misinformation and misunderstanding
– Many don’t realise that their current activities (which they
consider are legal but unregulated) are actually illegal
under current law but Food Bill will allow them
• Concerns about
– Seeds
– Sharing with friends and neighbours
– Powers of officers (armed entry without warrants)
– A global conspiracy to control the food supply
– Barter and swapping
– Community and farmers markets
Many ‘issues’ in your space
• Several of the concerns being raised or questions asked
relate directly to areas where TAs have responsibilities:
– Farmers and community markets
– Frequent and infrequent stall holders or sellers
– Charity and fund raising activities
– Fees and charges – particularly the difference
between registration and verification and that both
MAF and TAs will be charging for these activities for
different businesses
Challenge
• The system is not fully developed – we can’t
answer all questions at a detailed level
• The next step in the process following the Bill
passing will be the development of regulations
which will be a consultative process
• We know this doesn’t help when people are
asking for more details on how and when they
will be affected
What are we doing about it?
• Have an engaged Minister
• Responding to media articles and letters to the editor
• Have developed a standard response letter for Ministers
that addresses the issues being raised
• Have a Fact Sheet on the Bill – setting out in simple
terms what the Bill is about
• Have updated and simplified the Questions & Answers
on the MAF food safety website
• Have ensured that the background documents about the
domestic food review are available
How you can help
• We need to make sure the messages are getting
out there
• The fact sheet will be available for any of you
that wish to use it to help respond to queries you
receive – as will key talking points and standard
responses for letters
• Let us know what is coming to you – we will do
our best to help with developing answers
Our relationship with you
• We can’t do it without you
• Local Government and Territorial Authorities are our
co-regulators under the Food Bill
• Through the Domestic Food Review we have developed
our relationship and set up mechanisms that have
allowed us to communicate with each other:
– TA/LG Steering Group
– Cluster Groups
– TA Liaison and Advisor staff
– Password protected webpage and regular newsletter
Our thoughts
• Let’s look at what we have and get it ready to transition
into the future
• Review the terms of reference and modus operandi for the
Cluster Groups and TA/LG Steering Group:
– What would give you best value?
– What are the issues you want to talk about, get help
with?
• Already looking at the agenda for the next Steering Group
meeting on 12 March
– Got some of your ideas
– Got some of our own
What we have identified
• So far:
– Fees and charges – yours and ours
– Training for officers and verifiers
– TA exclusivity
– National programmes – who is the regulator?
– Accreditation – 17020 or not?
What are your thoughts?
• What do you think?
• What are your concerns?
• How can we work together to get to the future we
both want?