Perry Edwin: Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill — In Committee 
Perry Edwin: Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:624;Page:19137] 
EDWIN PERRY (NZ First) 
: 
 New Zealand First supports the Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill. All that I really want to do is to use the bill’s commentary to illustrate the key points and the reason why New Zealand First wants to support the bill because they are contained in it. As the commentary states “The Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill provides for the regulation of the dairy industry by the Animal Products Act 1999 and repeals the Dairy Industry Act 1952. The Dairy Industry Act 1952 which currently regulates the dairy industry is outdated and imposes significant constraints on the dairy industry’s ability to facilitate trade in dairy products and to counter risks to food safety.” as we have heard from our colleague in the National Party. 
The commentary continues: “Further the Act does not adequately facilitate the application of a risk management approach to the regulation of the dairy industry. Food safety administration in New Zealand is moving towards an environment based on the principles of food-safety risk management in line with international trends. The bill’s requirement that the dairy industry operate in a risk management environment will provide consistency with the rest of the food industry. A further aim of the bill is to facilitate the entry of dairy products to overseas markets by providing the controls and mechanisms needed for market access and the giving of official assurances.” As I have said in previous speeches in debates on this issue in terms of cheese alone the dairy industry provides $5.8 billion just from the cheese industry itself. 
Under the heading “Export requirements and consultation with the industry” the commentary states: “We do not recommend any change to clause 13 allowing the Director-General of Agriculture and Forestry to issue notices specifying requirements to be met in relation to animal material or animal products intended for export.” The Primary Production Committee made that decision. 
I now move to another part of the commentary about provisions in the bill that are important under the heading “Cost recovery in transition”. But before I do that I want to say to the Committee that the select committee on this bill comprised the Hon David Carter as chairperson Janet Mackey as the deputy chairperson Clayton Cosgrove the Hon Harry Duynhoven Gerrard Eckhoff Ian Ewen-Street Phil Heatley the Hon Dover Samuels Tariana Turia and R Doug Woolerton. Doug Woolerton’s approach and input into the bill and his common-sense view would have been no different from that of Gerry Eckhoff from ACT and of the Hon David Carter. They are farmers in their own right who approached this bill with reasonable common sense. 
The provisions concerning cost recovery in transition are I think an important part of the legislation. The commentary states: “The New Zealand Cold Storage Association considers that any fee paid for registration under the dairy regulations should automatically constitute registration under the Animal Products Act 1999. The association also considers that where this fee has been paid to cover a period beyond the date of the passing of the bill and a fee has also been paid to register under the Animal Products Act 1999 the fee relating to registration under the dairy regulations should be refunded. We”—the committee—“have some sympathy with the submitter but understand that costs associated with the previous registration have already been incurred; money should not be refunded for services that have been provided.As section 121 of the Animal Products Act 1999 allows for the waiver of fees and could be used to avoid duplication of cost-recovery we see no need to legislate further.” 
The Bills Digest No. 1116 gives a clear overview of this bill. It needs to be passed without any fuss. I think it is a common-sense approach to the industry which is one that provides this country with overseas funds and also the income from primary industry that is very important for the economy of this country. The Labour Party has benefited from that rural income.