Coromandel MP Sandra Goudie wants land owners across the Plains and the Coromandel Peninsula to have a say on the proposed Pest Management Plan of Action, out now for public consultation.

“The Plan of Action aims to drive a new national policy direction to further strengthen and align pest management plans as they are developed.

“We want to develop a unified approach to pest management for all land. This means all land owners in New Zealand will be bound to control pests, such as rabbits and wilding trees, so they don’t ‘spill over’ and affect their neighbours,” she says.

Crown land will be required to meet ‘good neighbour’ obligations as a responsible landowner, in regional pest management strategies.

“The cost of established pests to our economy runs close to $1.9 billion a year - $1.15 billion of lost production and $719 million in directly preventing pests from arriving in New Zealand and managing them once they are here.

“The Plan of Action looks at ways to ensure our pest management strategies limit this cost, and meet the needs of today and challenges of tomorrow,” says Mrs Goudie.

MAF has been working closely with regional councils, industry, Maori, the science community and other government departments to design the proposed improvements.

“Work still needs to be done to ensure that pest management strategies deliver the best protection possible and impose equitable costs on all landowners,” she says.

Submissions to the Pest Management proposed National Plan of Action 2010-2035 close on 19 July 2010.  For more information go to www.biosecurity.govt.nz/biosec/consult/pmpn-plan-of-action2010-2035.