Animal Disease Surveillance

New Zealand's Animal Disease Status

For up to date information on New Zealand's animal disease status please see the OIE Handistatus database (offsite link to www.oie.int)

Animal Disease Surveillance in New Zealand

For New Zealand to be able to trade internationally, MAF must have confidence that the products associated with agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture and apiculture are free from quarantine, or unwanted pests and diseases. Surveillance programmes have been developed to monitor the health status of New Zealand's plant, animal, fish and bee populations, as well as the export crop. This detects any changes in the health status, and the emergence of any previously unknown diseases.

The role of MAF's Animal Disease Surveillance programme is to fulfil the following objectives:

  • To facilitate the export trade in animals and animal products by being able to credibly certify New Zealand's true disease status, therefore minimizing the sanitary requirements that these exports must meet;
  • To fulfil international treaty obligations, including the prompt reporting of animal health events to international organisations and trading partners;
  • To develop and establish technically justifiable import requirements for animals and animal products entering New Zealand;
  • To enable the prompt notification of exotic diseases in New Zealand;
  • To support the development of pest management strategies to control animal diseases;
  • To facilitate the formulation of public health policies for the control of animal diseases that can affect human health.

In order to fulfil these objectives, MAF Biosecurity Authority (Animals Group) require a range of surveillance services eg diagnostic testing, reporting of results, survey design, and sample collection. MAF Biosecurity Authority (Animals Group) set the standards for these services, purchase them, and audit their delivery against the relevant standard(s).

Standards

Page last updated: 30 April 2008