- Biosecurity New Zealand will soon levy fines on commercial and recreational vessel operators that do not comply with the rules.
- Vessels that do provide notice of their arrival into New Zealand will be fined $400 for and individual and $800 for a corporation.
- Additionally, vessels will be fined for containment and transitional facilities for actions that could allow invasive pests and diseases into New Zealand.
According to an article published in Newzie, Biosecurity New Zealand officers will soon be able to fine commercial and recreational vessel operators that do not comply with the rules.
Infringement notices issued
The new offenses will come into force on September 2, allowing officers to issue infringement notices to operators that don’t provide notice of a vessel’s arrival in New Zealand.
Vessels that don’t respond to an official request to declare what they have done to comply with risk management requirements will also face a fine, says Biosecurity NZ spokesperson Stu Rawnsley.
He further added, “Ultimately, we want masters to supply the required information to us as early as possible. This is to ensure we can target our efforts at vessels that pose the greatest biosecurity risk to New Zealand.”
Non-complying shippers to be fined
The penalties for the offenses are $400 for and individual and $800 for a corporation.
He also added, “The fines are aimed at lower-level offenses that would have required the prosecution to enforce in the past. We still have to option to prosecute if necessary. The infringement option gives us an additional tool to encourage vessels to take their biosecurity responsibilities seriously. We are also keen to do what we can to encourage voluntary compliance among vessel operators.”
Similar notices for invasive pests and diseases
The new infringement notices follow the April introduction of similar fines for containment and transitional facilities for actions that could allow invasive pests and diseases into New Zealand.
He concluded, “We want to send a strong message about the importance of biosecurity across all vessel operators and the entire cargo industry.”
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Source: Newsie
