Stronger biosecurity protection with FarmsOnLine

Biosecurity Minister David Carter says biosecurity protection for farmers and growers is further strengthened with the official launch today of FarmsOnLine, a comprehensive database of rural properties.

Farm location, ownership and land use registered in the data service means the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry can rapidly respond in the event of a biosecurity emergency or natural disaster.

“It is not enough to know that a property exists. The 2005 Waiheke Island foot-and-mouth disease hoax demonstrated this when detailed information about potentially affected properties was difficult to obtain quickly,” says Mr Carter.

“Speed is the key to dealing with any emergency, and FarmsOnLine will give our trading partners confidence that New Zealand can rapidly respond to disease outbreaks.

“A significant animal disease such as foot-and-mouth would see major trade restrictions imposed, potentially costing the country billions of dollars.

“The $8.4 million dollars allocated to develop FarmsOnLine demonstrates the Government’s serious commitment to biosecurity readiness.”

Mr Carter says privacy issues have been important in the development of the system and personal information registered on the database can only be used for activities under the Biosecurity Act unless permission for wider use has been given by individuals.

Note: FarmsOnLine has achieved 98 percent coverage of New Zealand rural properties, collating information from publicly available sources. No action is needed by property owners to ensure their farms, orchards and forests are on the database. From today FarmsOnLine will begin contacting landowners on the database to verify the information held is correct; however landowners can also register on the website to view or update their details.

For further information on FarmsOnLine: www.farmsonline.maf.govt.nz