Livestock Threatened, Farmers Face Unfair Competition From Imported Grain Dump

New Zealand farm livestock could be under threat from contaminated grain, but the government refuses to act.

“The government claimed in Parliament today that all grain is treated and processing will destroy the seeds of the poisonous plant Noogoora bur found in the imported maize grain,” says Spokesperson on Primary Industries Richard Prosser.

“But, our farmers are required to ‘denature’ their grain before exporting it, so the same rules should apply to imported grain.

“Farmers are not only stuck with unfair trade regulations, they face competition in the livestock feed market from tonnes of dumped contaminated grain.

“A shipment of 37,000 tonnes revealed the plant seeds when examined at the Ministry of Primary Industries’ Te Puke Biosecurity Transitional Facility.

“It is an offence under the Biosecurity Act to propagate, sell, distribute, release or spread Noogoora bur in several regions of New Zealand including the Bay of Plenty (where it was found) and Canterbury (where 95% of NZ’s grain crops are grown).

“For biosecurity, animal welfare and economic reasons, the government needs to face up to the issue and fix it.

“We need to support our farmers – it’s just common sense,” says Mr Prosser.

.

ENDS

© Scoop Media