Eckhoff Gerrard: Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill — First Reading 
Eckhoff Gerrard: Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:618;Page:14232] 
GERRARD ECKHOFF (ACT) 
: 
 Before starting on the bill I would like to make a slight observation as I made yesterday in this House when speaking on the Meat Board Restructuring Bill. It is that it is a real pleasure to stand in the House and speak on a bill that we are in total unanimity on. I ask members to reflect on why that is. Here we have a farming industry that has no Government handouts or subsidy and only a very little light-handed regulation if and when required. Does that not produce a great result in the House? That is what the people whether they are up in the gallery or listening on the radio want to see in this place—the Government and the Opposition working together for the betterment of this country rather than indulging in party politics. That is rather nice to see and I am delighted to take a call on this bill and support it going to the Primary Production Committee as every other party is doing. 
I do so for a very sound reason: it is New Zealand’s reputation as a country—New Zealand Inc if you like—that is at stake if or when we ever and I trust it will not happen send food products overseas that are not safe. This bill is designed to ensure that the standards we apply to our consumable goods whether meat or milk or whatever are the highest possible that technology can allow us to determine. So as I said earlier it is an issue that is met with a high degree of unanimity. We must therefore accept that we need a light-handed Government standard to give what could be described as a stamp of approval because “Made in New Zealand” does mean an awful lot overseas. I am sure we are all very well aware of that. 
There are one or two issues that we need to flag especially within the dairy industry—and indeed the wider agricultural industry—and that is the use of antibiotics which of course testing will pick up. I saw a programme recently on television about the use of antibiotics overseas and the abuse of this miracle product. Although we use antibiotics in the dairy industry and indeed in the orchard industry—I am not sure that many people realise that we spray orchard trees with amoxyl to kill certain bugs—they must be used in a very sensible and restrained way to ensure that resistance does not occur. 
I thought that programme was something we should all take a great deal of note of. I am sure that the people within our dairy and meat industries understand the need for very judicious use of antibiotics whenever necessary. Certainly farmers understand the need for antibiotics at very limited times and we now have the technology to pick up the overuse of antibiotics in our milk products. So that all goes to show that we are getting it right. 
From time to time an odd shipment of cheese causes concern—one went just recently that contained I think leptospirosis—and that has a profound effect on the confidence overseas countries have in our product. Thankfully it was recalled and to a large degree the damage was if not eliminated certainly curtailed to some degree. It illustrates that we need to keep a very close watch on ensuring that the high standards that New Zealand is famous for are met at all times. 
That is not to say that we cannot except in smaller or cottage industries allow for cheese to be made in its natural and normal state—even without pasteurisation. I am told that in France for example the “real” cheeses are made that way. They have a certain taste although I personally cannot recall ever eating any of those sorts of cheeses. I think it would be a shame if we closed our minds totally to ensuring that those who in a small way wish to produce these sorts of foods for consumption in New Zealand which would not compromise our export industries could do so. 
Global trade is an absolute reality and as a trading nation where over 90 percent of our dairy products leave our shores we have to be eternally grateful for that. As I said earlier that imposes the realisation that we need to ensure that standards are met. It places real constraints on the dairy industry to get everything right so this Animal Products (Dairy Products and Other Matters) Bill is probably a little bit overdue—as one of the National Party people alluded to—but at least we are getting there. I look forward to this bill coming before the Primary Production Committee which is recognised in the House as probably the most sensible— 
Edwin Perry 
: Common sense. 
GERRARD ECKHOFF 
: It has common sense as Edwin Perry says. It is the select committee that looks at an issue rather than at the politics of an issue. That is the way it should be so we are quite delighted that that should happen. 
This bill really is about risk management and making sure that the standards are met and none of us would oppose that. As a member of the ACT party I am not in favour of unnecessary rules regulations and legislation but from time to time we have to accept that to get our products into countries overseas it is necessary for the Government to step in and ensure the safety of the products impose standards and let the industry get on with the job of meeting those standards. That is what the industry has done. It is an industry as I said yesterday in debate on the Meat Board Restructuring Bill that I as a farmer am enormously proud of. 
We will meet the requirements of New Zealand into the future—there is no question about that. All we need to do is open the trade up. Only 10 percent of our meat products are chilled at this time. Once we have 100 percent or get close to that figure the opportunities for our agricultural country will be enormous. That is something we can look forward to with some considerable relish. 
That is about all I wish to say at this time other than to reiterate that I am delighted to see that the House has supported this bill in its entirety to the select committee where no doubt it will get the committee’s proper consideration.