Biosecurity Emergency Response Services
We are available 24 / 7 to respond to environmental, livestock, horticultural, forestry, apicultural, GMO and marine biosecurity emergencies. We have access to, and train staff and resources from across the company to deliver a proven team of dedicated biosecurity professionals who now number more than 400 New Zealand-wide.
In the case of a highly contagious exotic disease, like foot and mouth disease, AsureQuality is equipped to dispatch an initial investigating Veterinarian within half an hour of notification, file a detailed report 4.5 hours later, establish a National Headquarters anywhere in New Zealand within 15 hours and have all necessary Field Response staff mobilised 24 hours after the alarm is raised.
Services Activated When a Biosecurity Emergency is Identified
Include:
- Headquarters management, IT, communications, supplies
- Technical services - pest identification, in-field testing
- Administration and financial management
- Mapping capabilities and database management - geospatial services
- Surveillance
- Tracing and movement control services
- Field resource management - containment, depopulation and disposal
- Public relations services - media, industry, affected parties, government
- Containment and control of plant and animal pests and diseases
- Logistics
Development and implementation of biosecurity emergency response systems
We can provide a wide range of support to assist customers in establishing emergency response services including:
- Risk assessment
- Design of response systems
- Documentation (and maintenance) of response procedures and instructions
- Development of training programmes for response personnel
- Delivery of training for response personnel
- Auditing of response systems performance and capability
- Development and operation of database systems
Related Content
Case Study - Red Imported Fire Ant
The Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA) was first detected in New Zealand in Napier in June 2006. RIFA poses a serious biosecurity threat as it decimates flora and fauna, has environmental impacts and effect on domestic animals and pets and delivers a nasty sting which poses a serious threat to human health. AsureQuality has a long term contract with MAF for the provision of Biosecurity Response Services and was at the front line in containing this outbreak. Read more...
Case Study - Painted Apple Moth
Painted Apple Moth (PAM) was initially discovered in 1999 in Glendene, in Auckland's Western suburbs. PAM is a serious biosecurity threat to New Zealand due to its potential to severely defoliate fruit trees, natives and introduced trees thus posing a threat to gardens, crops, forests and native bush. It was estimated that if widely established the potential economic impact could be between $58 - $356 million over 20 years. A programme of aerial spraying was carried out between October 2002 and May 2004. Read more...
Case Study - Foot & Mouth Disease
Foot and Mouth Disease was reported on Waiheke Island, Auckland, NZ in May 2005. The report turned out to be a hoax. However, it was taken very seriously due to the potentially severe biosecurity threat this highly contagious viral disease, for which there is no cure apart from slaughter, placed on our sheep, cattle, pigs, deer, and goats.
The wider effects economic effects of a Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak on New Zealand include stopping our exports of meat, animal by-products and dairy products, thus damaging our trade reputation. This would flow on to rise in unemployment of an estimated 20,000 jobs, and the NZ Treasury estimated in 2003 that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would lose $10 billion over a two year period in the event of an FMD outbreak.
Read more...
