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Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is welcoming more success stories from the Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) scheme, with five major projects announcing breakthroughs this month.

“The programme ‘Transforming the Dairy Value Chain’ is helping to develop a patented technology for developing frozen mozzarella cheese in one day rather than the previous two months. Last week Fonterra announced a new $72 million investment into its Clandeboye plant near Timaru to expand production of this cheese.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed the creation of a new position for an agricultural counsellor in the New Zealand Embassy in Jakarta.

“This is in recognition of the growing importance of the bilateral relationship with Indonesia. It is a further step by the Ministry for Primary Industries to increase its presence in Asian markets and provide in-market support for exporters.

“As announced earlier this year, MPI is also putting more staff into China by the end of the year and is doubling its market access team in Wellington from 8 to 16.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced that a delegation of 10 veterinarians, farming leaders and MPI staff will take part in foot and mouth disease (FMD) training in Asia next year to experience working with the disease first hand.

“While the major focus is always on preventing FMD, it is also very important that we are prepared to respond to such an outbreak quickly and effectively if it ever did happen.

“The training will develop a larger pool of people in New Zealand with experience in recognising, diagnosing and controlling the disease.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced five new appointments to the Biosecurity Ministerial Advisory Committee today.

The Committee plays an important role in providing the Minister with independent advice on the performance of New Zealand’s biosecurity system as a whole, and on specific biosecurity issues where necessary.

“Biosecurity is my number one priority, and hugely important to New Zealand as a trading nation,” says Mr Guy.

Thank you Bob, and thank you to the New Zealand Companion Animal Council for inviting me here today to talk with you about animal welfare.

Can I acknowledge Joyce D’Silva Joyce, Ambassador and former Chief Executive of Compassion in World Farming, and my fellow MPs – Trevor Mallard, Mojo Mathers, Ian McKelvie and Andrew Williams.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has today announced a new programme for overseas farmers to spend time in New Zealand on an agri-tech study tour.

“Four places a year will be available for farmers to spend up to three weeks here, looking at improved agricultural productivity and reducing on-farm methane emissions,” says Mr Guy.

“This programme will be fully funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries and will help promote New Zealand’s agribusiness expertise overseas.

Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy is welcoming a proposal to bring in compulsory screening of palm kernel expeller (PKE) imported into New Zealand.

PKE is imported mainly from Malaysia and Indonesia and is used by the dairy industry as supplementary stock feed.

“The proposal from the Ministry for Primary Industries is that all PKE must be passed through a 4-6mm size screen on entry to New Zealand and before going on sale. There will also be added requirements for record keeping and traceability.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed exciting progress on seafood harvesting technology, developed through the Government’s Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) scheme.

“The Precision Seafood Harvesting project is developing new net technology which is world-leading. It has the potential for huge economic and environmental benefits.

“Underwater images have been released at the Seafood NZ conference today in Auckland showing this technology in action.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye are welcoming Martyn Dunne CNZM as the new Director-General of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

“Mr Dunne has an outstanding record of service in the military, the public service and as a diplomat,” says Mr Guy.

“His appointment signals a fresh start for MPI. I look forward to working with him on important issues like biosecurity and doubling our exports by 2025.”

Primary Industries Nathan Guy has announced Sir Maarten Wevers as the sixth and newest member of the Primary Growth Partnership’s Investment Advisory Panel (IAP).

“This appointment reflects the growing profile and importance of the Primary Growth Partnership,” Mr Guy says.

Members of the IAP are responsible for providing advice on the investment decisions of PGP funds, and to help ensure that PGP investments achieve the aims of economic growth.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy says rural communities have bounced back strongly after this year’s drought, with the official declaration ending today.

“Earlier this year I extended the official drought declaration covering the entire North Island and West Coast of the South Island until the end of September. This was in recognition that the drought was the worst in 70 years and the need for support would continue through the winter.

Good afternoon everybody.

I would like first to extend a special welcome to industry and business leaders, my parliamentary colleagues, and our partner PGP programmes here today as we showcase the wide range of PGP programmes underway to date and exciting innovations they are progressing. 

We will – I understand – be hearing from some of the newer programmes shortly.  I’d encourage you to explore the stands, and I also understand you can even sample some of the programme’s products in today’s canapés.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced $800,000 in funding for two new Global Research Alliance projects in Latin America.

Mr Guy made the announcement during his speech at the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture conference in Buenos Aires, involving Agriculture Ministers from across the region.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has today announced increases to catch limits for a range of New Zealand fisheries, thanks to healthy stock levels.

“These decisions today reflect the success of the Quota Management System (QMS), which is recognised as world leading. It is driven by science and responsive to change, which means that as stocks improve we can increase our sustainable take”, says Mr Guy.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy will depart for Argentina tomorrow to attend the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) conference.

“This will be a valuable opportunity to meet with my counterparts from Latin America, the US, Canada and the Caribbean, to discuss some of the issues and opportunities facing the agricultural sector across the world.

“Some of the issues covered will include the work of the Global Research Alliance of which New Zealand is a major supporter, and the importance of water storage and management.”

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has today announced a range of measures aimed at continuing the rebuild of the Snapper 1 stock for future generations.

“This is a balanced and fair package which will ultimately mean more fish for everyone in the coming years.

Trade Minister Tim Groser and Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy today outlined an initial plan to reassert New Zealand’s reputation in key markets following the reported potential contamination of Fonterra-produced whey protein concentrate.

“Minister Guy and I have been in close contact with the affected primary sector business throughout the past weeks. We all agree that a coordinated, all of Government response is needed,” says Mr Groser.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy says he is disappointed in false claims by Labour MP Damien O’Connor over the terms of reference for the Ministerial inquiry into whey protein concentrate contamination (WPC) incident.

“Mr O’Connor is completely wrong, again. The terms of the inquiry have been widened, not narrowed, and still cover testing by AgResearch,” says Mr Guy.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye have today confirmed details of the Government’s investigation into the whey protein concentrate contamination (WPC) incident, including two further members.

“Now that the Inquiries Act has passed into law, the terms of reference have been finalised and the appointments of Tony Nowell CNZM and Dr Anne Astin as inquiry members have been confirmed. The Inquiry will be officially established once it is notified in the New Zealand Gazette on 12 September 2013,” says Mr Guy.

Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith and Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy are requiring that all fishing vessels in the Southern Blue Whiting fishery around the Campbell Islands use Sea Lion Exclusion Devices after 16 New Zealand Sea Lion fatalities in the past three weeks.

A bill to strengthen protection of animals in New Zealand has passed its first reading unanimously in Parliament today.

“The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill will improve the enforceability, clarity, and transparency of the Animal Welfare Act 1999,” says Mr Guy.

“This will strengthen an already well performing animal welfare system.

It has been 14 years since the Animal Welfare Act was passed, and a review of this Act was long overdue.

The Primary Sector CEO Bootcamp conference over the last two days has been a major success, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

“Over the last two days in Wellington this conference has brought together 35 top agribusiness leaders and five Government agency Chief Executives into one room, representing 80% of all our primary sector exports,” says Mr Guy.

“The Bootcamp initiative started in 2012 and has involved CEOs working together to grow our export earnings and take advantage of major opportunities around the world.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye have today released the draft terms of inquiry for the Government’s investigation into the whey protein concentrate contamination (WPC) incident.

“The Government has agreed in principle to establish a joint Ministerial-led Government Inquiry which will be divided into two parts,” says Mr Guy.

“Part A will look at how the potentially contaminated whey protein concentrate entered the New Zealand and international market, and how this was subsequently addressed.

Trade Minister Tim Groser and Primary Industries Nathan Guy say that officials are working closely with Russian authorities to provide the reassurance they need over New Zealand dairy products.

“Russia has formally notified New Zealand of a temporary restriction of dairy imports from 61 of the 83 dairy plants approved for export to Russia,” says Mr Groser.