KVH is involved in numerous Government Industry Agreement for Biosecurity Readiness and Response (GIA) Councils, who have a shared interest in activities for specific high-risk pests, such as fruit flies, exotic stink bugs, and Lepidoptera – butterflies and moths.

This month these Councils have all been undertaking planning days to set a work programme for the year ahead that will improve our readiness toolbox. These days build off lessons from previous responses in New Zealand and offshore and seek input from worldwide experts. This list of contributors includes representatives from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) readiness, response, surveillance and diagnostics teams, science input from the Bioeconomy Science Institute and in the case of high-risk pests like fruit flies and Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), input from Australia where building trans-Tasman relationships remains a key priority.