OIA21-1216
29 November 2021
Robert McLeod
[FYI request #17253 email]
Dear Robert McLeod
Thank you for your email of 18 October 2021 requesting information relating to chronic
wasting disease (CWD). Your request has been considered under the Of icial Information Act
1982 (OIA).
You requested the following:
Can you please let me know what action is being taken to protect NZ deer farms
from Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD.
CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that affects members of the
cervidae family. Of the six known TSEs to affect animals, none are understood to be present
in New Zealand.
Biosecurity New Zealand’s TSE surveil ance programme ensures early detection of any TSE
incursion. Under the programme, CWD surveil ance includes the routine testing of samples
collected from clinically healthy adult animals, sent to meat processing plants across New
Zealand. Furthermore, if an animal is showing clinical signs of neurological disease, samples
are supplied for testing, and veterinarians and farmers are compensated for the samples.
Further information on the TSE surveil ance programme is available here:
https:/ www.mpi.govt.nz/biosecurity/plans-for-responding-to-serious-disease-
outbreaks/transmissible-spongiform-encephalopathies-tses/. Additionally, the surveil ance
programme is reported annually in Biosecurity New Zealand’s
Surveil ance magazine.
Previous publications of the magazine can be accessed via the following link:
http:/ www.sciquest.org.nz/surveil ance.
People in New Zealand have an important role to play in protecting the country from
unwanted pests and diseases, including CWD. Staying alert and reporting any suspected
exotic pests and diseases to Biosecurity New Zealand’s hotline, 0800 809 966, is crucial. We
strongly advise anyone who comes across cervid, either wild or farmed in New Zealand, with
weight loss, stumbling, listlessness, or other neurological clinical signs to report to our
hotline, so we can investigate. Information on how to report is available at:
https:/ www.mpi.govt.nz/biosecurity/how-to-find-report-and-prevent-pests-and-
diseases/report-a-pest-or-disease/.
Charles Fergusson Building, 34-38 Bowen Street
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140, New Zealand
biosecurity.govt.nz
Strict biosecurity measures are also in place for those importing or entering New Zealand
with used equipment that has been associated with animals or water. These measures,
designed to help prevent an exotic pest or disease incursion like CWD, include:
• Inspection to verify that any equipment is clean, dry, and free of visible contamination.
• If contamination is found, the equipment is cleaned and disinfected using an agent
listed from the approved Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) list of disinfectants.
Is there any kind of restriction on importing cervid products from countries known to have
CWD?
Under the Biosecurity Act 1993, an import health standard (IHS) is required before
biosecurity risk goods can be imported. IHSs are based on import risk analyses and describe
the measures that must be applied so risk goods, like cervid products, can be imported
safely. More information on IHSs can be found via the following link:
https:/ www.mpi.govt.nz/legal/compliance-requirements/ihs-import-health-standards/.
The following IHSs enable the safe importation of cervid products from countries known to
have CWD. Further information is available at their respective links:
•
Import Health Standard for the Importation into New Zealand of Frozen Inedible Deer
By-products for Further Processing from Norway:
https:/ mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/1829
•
Import Health Standard for the Importation of Deer/Elk Velvet into New Zealand from
New Caledonia and Norway: https:/ www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/1744-Deerelk-
velvet-from-approved-countries-Import-Health-Standard
•
Import Health Standard: Ornamental Products of Animal Origin:
https:/ www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/1846-ornamental-products-of-animal-origin-
import-health-standard.
Deer lures and live deer are not eligible for importation from any country. Deer germplasm is
not eligible for importation from any country known to have CWD.
Is there any plan in place to handle a CWD outbreak here?
Biosecurity New Zealand has plans in place for managing responses in the event of an exotic
pest or animal disease incursion in New Zealand, such as CWD. We work alongside industry
partners, including Deer Industry New Zealand as a Government Industry Agreement
partner, in reviewing these plans, ensuring they are fit for purpose and take into account the
specifics of the industry.
These plans include tracing and restricting animal movements from properties that are at-risk
of CWD. For example, cervid farms that have had links with other infected properties,
including neighbouring properties, through animal movements or vehicle movements that
could spread biosecurity risk goods like faeces, urine, blood, etc. Once traced and restricted,
testing would then be carried out. Farms not linked to the outbreak, but are showing clinical
signs of the TSE disease, would also be restricted, traced, and tested.
Testing would also be undertaken at meat processing plants. Teams would follow strict
biosecurity protocols, on-farm and at plants, ensuring the disease is not being spread.
Further to this, advice would be provided to farmers on the importance of good perimeter
fencing to help limit interactions between farmed and wild cervid.
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I trust the information provided is of assistance. Should you have any concerns with this
response, I would encourage you to raise these with the Ministry for Primary Industries at
[email address]. Alternatively, you are advised of your right to also raise
any concerns with the Of ice of the Ombudsman. Contact details are: Office of the
Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143 or at
[email address].
Yours sincerely
Wendy McDonald
Acting Director Diagnostic & Surveil ance Services
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