New staff and dogs to strengthen biosecurity

New Zealand’s biosecurity frontline will be further strengthened with the graduation of 57 staff today, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

“These Ministry for Primary Industries staff include 24 detector dog teams who will be in action this summer, protecting our borders from pests and diseases,” says Mr Guy.

“This is going to be a very busy summer with record numbers of visitors expected, both air travellers and on cruise ships.

“In this year’s Budget we allocated an extra $27 million to strengthen our biosecurity system. As a result MPI has trained more compliance officers and purchased six new x-ray machines for inspecting baggage, including a new mobile machine.

“Congratulations to all the graduates today. It is a proud day for them and they have a critical job ahead protecting our borders from unwanted pests and diseases.

“Biosecurity is my number one priority as Minister and these new graduates are a major boost to our frontline defences.”