5. Mycoplasma Bovis—Compensation Government-Industry Agreements and National Animal Identification and TracingHon NATHAN GUY (National—Ōtaki) to the Minister for BiosecurityMycoplasma Bovis—Compensation Government-Industry Agreements and National Animal Identification and Tracing5. Hon NATHAN GUY (National—Ōtaki) to the Minister for Biosecurity: Does he stand by all his statements and actions in relation to Mycoplasma bovis?Hon MEKA WHAITIRI (Associate Minister of Agriculture): on behalf of the Minister for Biosecurity: Yes in the context in which they were said and made.Hon Nathan Guy: When he said on Radio New Zealand he hadn't thrown out the biosecurity Government-industry agreements (GIAs) but all decisions had to be fair does he still support GIAs in the existing agreements signed by 16 organisations?Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: For the members the GIA has not being signed by the New Zealand Dairy Board or Beef and Lamb New Zealand—Hon Nathan Guy: It has.Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: It has not. I've been advised it has not been signed by the two industry players. All taxpayers and farmers believe that the cost should be shared in this response. It's a reasonable expectation and we want to make sure that it's fair for all the players including farmers.SPEAKER: Sorry I've lost the member's name.Hon Members: Andrew Falloon.SPEAKER: Falloon. I've got Falloon. Andrew Falloon thank you.Andrew Falloon: Thank you Mr Speaker. Does his 80 percent compensation target of yesterday include requests from farms where culling has begun but has not been completed as is the case with a mid-Canterbury farmer who tested positive in January—culling is being carried over several weeks but not a cent of compensation has been paid despite loss of income crippling costs and enormous stress?Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: I'm advised that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) are working very hard with the industries. Obviously as the Minister I can't get involved with the individual farmers but I can report to that member that they are working very hard on that information that they've received through the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) system and that for those that do not have it MPI officials are sitting at the kitchen tables with farmers to identify where those cattle are. We are addressing all the proposals that are received in a timely manner. Like the Minister said 80 percent of claims that are fully applied are being addressed.Hon Nathan Guy: Is he aware that five to six farms are on the brink of bankruptcy and one farmer has reportedly asked What is it going to take—me stringing myself up from a tree?".Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: As I've said officials are working actively as we speak to address the response from using the NAIT system that that member introduced when he was in office that hasn't been working. We are working very hard. We have 250 officials working with farmers as we speak to address this response that that Government left—the mess when they were in Government last.Hon Shane Jones: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Sir I want to raise a matter for your attention—SPEAKER: Is it a point of order?Hon Shane Jones: I'm making a point of order. The matter pertains to the content of the last question. You are very judicious in terms of how you judge the appropriateness of that question. Suggesting that the current Minister is responsible for that sort of death is totally unacceptable.SPEAKER: I think the tone of the point of order was not helpful. But I think that members do need to take a lot of care in the House when they are referring to matters like that. I think that members making that sort of suggestion will be seen by many mental health experts as being irresponsible and members should contemplate carefully—should contemplate carefully—that sort of public approach. But having said that Mr Jones it is in the end in this case a matter of taste and judgment and I don't have responsibility for that at that level of question.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: Can I just ask the member—it would be really good if this issue did not become quite a big public issue for the very reason that I've made my comments.Hon Gerry Brownlee: And I accept that but we have just taken that advice from you and I'm sure we'll follow it but I would point out to Mr Jones that during his sabbatical from this place it was regular practice for the Opposition to start questions saying "Is the Minister aware of" and then give a first name and outline some very dire circumstances that the alleged person was in. Now I think that was bad practice. The reality is today's was a quote and Mr Jones might also reflect on why one of his colleagues shot back across the House a completely unacceptable interjection about what the questioner should do with himself in regards to that activity.Hon Nathan Guy: If he's so concerned about NAIT compliance why will it take him 60 days after seeing the published report before he gets any advice from his officials? [Interruption] SPEAKER: Order! Can I ask members on both sides—this is a very serious matter. It's very important for lots of farming families around and I would prefer—in fact I'm going to rule—that this answer is going to be heard in silence.Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: Thank you Mr Speaker. The main problem that is faced as that member well knows is that the modelling is trying to account for the animal movements that weren't recorded in the national animal tracing system. However the hard-working diligent proactive Minister for Biosecurity Minister O'Connor has tasked officials to work quickly on options for improving the NAIT system including the reports that he's receiving. We will make sure farmers are involved and understand the importance of that work. Unlike the previous Government we are not going to muck around and—SPEAKER: Order! That's enough.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Minister as to whether the Government would consider the possibility of a farm debt mediation bill—something which the Labour Party and New Zealand First have supported in the past but which the National Party opposed?Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: Absolutely. We are a coalition Government of action and doing the right things by farmers throughout New Zealand and they're seeing it as we speak.Hon Nathan Guy: Why are M. bovis cattle being trucked to Gore for slaughtering and ending up in Ōamaru's general landfill when there is no food safety issues with the meat? Surely this seems wasteful.Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: As I said if we had the NAIT system properly implemented then we would have had clear records on the movements of animals. We are looking at the NAIT to improve it so the tracking system is better than what we've actually inherited.Hon Nathan Guy: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. That was a very specific question—nothing to do with animal tracing movements. It was why—SPEAKER: Well the member actually did ask: "How come dead animals were being taken to some place other than where they were slaughtered?" That is a matter of where animals—you know it's not up to me to make a judgment about the quality of the answer and I have no idea when tracing stops and the member's not going to sort that out by point of order. Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Look I know you can't seek leave on someone else's behalf but I would like to use this point of order to indicate to the Rt Hon Winston Peters that we'd be most interested to see an urgent farm debt management bill brought to the House so that these poor guys who are suffering can be paid out—nothing will happen.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Speaking to the point of order despite the belated sense of responsibility of that questioner that was not a point of order. SPEAKER: Well I think we could say the same about both of them. Thank you—we'll move on to the next question."