Pests, weeds and diseases (biosecurity)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is responsible for managing risks to plant and animal health and animal welfare. This includes developing a national Biosecurity Strategy to deal with problems relating to pests, weeds and diseases within New Zealand. The Ministry for the Environment contributes to this work.
Introduced pests, weeds and diseases pose a serious risk to biodiversity, agriculture, forestry and aquaculture. New Zealand’s estimated 70 million possums are one of our most destructive pests, they:
- eat about 21,000 tonnes of vegetation each night
- kill native birds and invertebrates
- help spread tuberculosis to domestic cattle.
Less obvious, but more widespread, is the pressure on our environment from many smaller invaders, such as insects, parasitic worms, weeds and fungi. These threaten native species, exotic crops, forests or livestock, and their pressure grows with each new arrival.
Controlling pests and weeds is a large and costly component of nature conservation and agriculture in New Zealand. A large part of our economy is based on the sale of high quality primary produce overseas. It is vital to control the entry or subsequent spread of new organisms and to ensure that we do not inadvertently export pests.
Last updated: 20 February 2008
