6. Primary Sector—Ministry for Primary Industries Restructuring Mānuka Honey Standard and Mycoplasma BovisHon NATHAN GUY (National—Ōtaki) to the Minister of AgriculturePrimary Sector—Ministry for Primary Industries Restructuring Mānuka Honey Standard and Mycoplasma Bovis6. Hon NATHAN GUY (National—Ōtaki) to the Minister of Agriculture: Does he stand by all his statements?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): Yes.Hon Nathan Guy: How does he reconcile his statement in the House last week that creating separate entities from the Ministry for Primary Industries will deliver lower costs when today he has confirmed additional ongoing operating costs of $2.3 million a year?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: The lower cost will be felt by all the industries that were unfairly burdened with additional costs following the chaos at the border in China where through the last Government's changes from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) hundreds of millions of dollars of export meat was held up at the border costing that industry millions of dollars. Those costs will not be incurred when the changes occur under us.Hon Nathan Guy: Wait and see on that.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Does the member have a supplementary question?Hon Nathan Guy: Supplementary.Mr SPEAKER: And the member will ask the supplementary question not run a commentary on the previous answer.Hon Nathan Guy: Is this the least-cost option of the four options presented and has he been rolled by officials who convinced him to put expensive stickers on doors and leave MPI as almost status quo?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: No.Kieran McAnulty: What other statements does the Minister stand by?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: We stand by statements that this Government is focused on getting better value from everything that occurs across the primary sectors not simply driving increasing production at a cost to the environment and relying on additional output without any real net benefit to our country. We will get better value from the primary sectors across the board than that previous Government did.Hon David Bennett: When the Minister stated yesterday that the test for mānuka honey did not include leptosperin due to its potential to dilute over time exactly how long does it take to dilute?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: While I'd like to claim to be a scientist I can't give exact figures on that other than the leptosperin and MG or methylglyoxal components were not sufficiently scientifically robust to ensure the customers that bought high-value mānuka honey from New Zealand could be guaranteed that they were getting what they paid for. Our move yesterday was to secure the reputation of New Zealand as a trusted trader providing the goods that we say they are.Hon David Bennett: What evidence does the Minister have that the dilution doesn't take place?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I can refer that member to a list of science and I'm sure he'll ask for it through an Official Information Act request. MPI took three years of extensive scientific testing to arrive at a draft recommendation and set of criteria. They were amended following extensive consultation with the industry. I know everyone will not agree but this puts in place the most secure scientifically robust definition for mānuka honey—something that hasn't been done elsewhere in the world. We're proud of it. It will uphold our reputation—something that that previous Government didn't have the courage to do.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will withdraw the last phrase that he made.Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I withdraw.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can the Minister tell the House when the standard was first promised how many times it was delayed and how come he was able within 43 days to produce one?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: The previous Government learnt of this as far back as 2013. We were warned that our international reputation was at risk not just for honey but in every product that we sold around the world. That Government chose to sit on its hands and not make the hard call when necessary after the scientific work had been done. We made that decision. We're moving on.Hon David Bennett: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister referred to a list of MPI science. I would request that he table that in the House.Mr SPEAKER: The member will resume his seat. The member is now trifling with the Chair. If the member thinks that the Minister was quoting from an official document at the time he referred to it I think he'll think that Santa Claus and his reindeer are going to wander through here soon.Barbara Kuriger: On what dates were each of the five new Mycoplasma bovis - infected properties confirmed?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: I do not have that information before me. I am happy to provide those dates to the member if she'd like to contact me after question time.Barbara Kuriger: Does the Minister still agree with the statement in relation to Mycoplasma bovis that Every animal on that property should be isolated and destroyed immediately and while this seems drastic we must do everything possible to contain this and eliminate it from New Zealand"?Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR: Yes and when Mycoplasma bovis was first identified on the property—I stand by that statement. If that had occurred perhaps it wouldn't have been so widespread now."