Compliance with environmental legislation
The nature of our research exposes us to a range of Acts that we must consider on a daily basis. We have established a multi-faceted and robust system for managing these requirements including a well-developed environmental management system (EMS).
As well as legislative requirements, the EMS covers voluntary actions that enhance our environmental management. A number of internal EMS compliance failures in required procedure were identified through our internal audit system with action taken to correct them within 2 to 3 months of their detection.
Resource Management Act (RMA) 1991
In addition being managed through our internal EMS, compliance with the RMA is reviewed annually as part of our ISO 14001 certification. All programme and project leaders have responsibility for ensuring they work within the requirements of the RMA and document the activities in environmental planning forms, contracts, budgets and research outputs. No breaches of the RMA were reported during the year.
At the end of the 2005/6 financial year, 43 of Landcare Research’s 44 laboratories were meeting the Exempt Laboratory requirements. The one non-compliant laboratory was in Nelson where staff had just moved to a new location. Theirnew laboratory was still in the process of being made compliant.
In 2005 we began work on a document management system. This is a requirement under the Records Management Act 2005. The system will in the main be electronically based, and will assist handling the requirements of our EMS and other management systems.
Conservation Act 1987
Manaaki Whenua complies with DOC management plans for any work it carries out on Conservation land. We are also required to seek authority from DOC for some activities, for example collecting specimens on Conservation lands.
Wild Animal Control Act 1977
Any animals that are considered threats to New Zealand are deemed “wild animals”. This list includes several species introduced into New Zealand for food, produce or pets, but which have since escaped and established in the wild. If we need to capture and then release any of these animals, in particular possums, as part of our research, then we first seek permission from DOC.
Biosecurity Act 1993
Under MAF requirements, biosecurity within Manaaki Whenua is managed through its designated operator and a manager for each laboratory. This year our registration of the Allan and New Zealand Fungal herbaria facilities as a containment facility (PC1) under MAF standard 155.04.09 Containment of New Organisms (including genetically modified organisms) of Plant Species was confirmed. All facilities are currently compliant with the relevant MAF standard(s), and audits have been completed to schedule, with any corrective action having been made.
In September 2005 we formally applied to MAF for an exemption under Section 53 of the Biosecurity Act, to allow propagation and multiplication of micro-organisms on MAF’s Unwanted Organisms register, in routine maintenance of cultures in the International Collection of Micro-organisms from Plants (ICMP). MAF acknowledges the need to discuss from a policy perspective the biosecurity considerations relating to granting the “blanket” exemption we requested (covering multiple unwanted species). In the interim we have written permission from the Director, Pre-Clearance, Biosecurity New Zealand, to continue ICMP operations in containment, but restricting propagation of unwanted organisms except in instances where the maintenance and viability of an organism is in serious jeopardy, and commercial interests are seriously threatened.
Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996
This year ERMA New Zealand approved an application for Manaaki Whenua, on behalf of all herbaria in New Zealand, to cover the importation of “new organisms” in the form of dried herbarium specimens. These specimens, including seeds, pollen and fungal spores, are used as reference material to study and improve understanding of the New Zealand flora and fungi.
We continued to implement the HSNO Exempt Laboratories Code of Practice under Section 33 of the HSNO Act. At the end of the financial year, 43 of our 44 laboratories were meeting the requirements of the Code of Practice. The one non-compliant laboratory was in Nelson where staff had just moved to a new location. Their new laboratory was still in the process of being made compliant.
We are continuing work on a company-wide chemical inventory system that will standardise and simplify compliance in chemical tracking and inventory control.
Animal Welfare Act 1999
An animal ethics committee (AEC) oversees activities covered by the Animal Welfare Act. The committee meets four times a year and is composed of two staff and four external experts. Applications were received by the AEC for the use of animals in 26 new applications and 10 amended applications.
Final and interim reports were received on all AEC-approved projects, enabling the AEC to maintain ongoing oversight of all approved animal research. A number of animal welfare improvements/benefits were identified in the reports. The monitoring subcommittee completed their auditing of the second of two selected projects.
The AEC Chair underwent a statutory audit conducted by Biosecurity NZ of his performance as a MAF-accredited reviewer The AEC Chair underwent a statutory audit conducted by Biosecurity NZ of his performance as a MAF-accredited reviewer of code-holder compliance. All appeared in order, and the report will be forwarded to company management when received.
| Studies involving animals | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of studies 1 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 27 |
| No. of target animals captured | 8631 | 11 845 | 9838 | 10 644 |
| No. of non-target introduce danimals caught | 494 | 573 | 319 | 312 |
| No. of non-target native animals caught | 179 | 46 | 72 | 92 |
| No. of non-target native animals killed 2 | 5 | 5 | 44 | 7 |
1 These data are for calendar years.
24 harrier hawks and 3 weka
Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act (ACVM) 1997 (in force 2001)
Our consultant vet, Donald Arthur, conducted a statutory audit of compliance with the Agricultural Chemicals and Veterinary Medicines Act in January. The audit encompassed all sites where drugs are used in animal research, and focused on approvals for use of drugs; reconciliation of approved purchases; records of usage and stocks held; and adequacy of drug storage facilities. His report was distributed to company management and the AEC and indicated a good overall standard of compliance, with some suggestions for minor improvements.