Formation 29 Oct 1993 | Website www.tbfree.org.nz | |
Extinction Defunct as of 1 July 2013 (now known as TBfree New Zealand, managed by OSPRI New Zealand) Type Formerly an incorporated society Purpose Formerly a disease management agency Headquarters Wellington, New Zealand | ||
Until 1 July 2013, at which time it was disbanded, the Animal Health Board was the organisation legally responsible for managing and implementing the National Pest Management Plan (NPMP) for bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) in New Zealand. It was usually abbreviated to AHB. It was restructured to form TBfree New Zealand, the title of the programme for which it was responsible for managing before the formation of OSPRI. Like the former AHB, OSPRI continues to derive its powers from the Biosecurity Act 1993. OSPRI's mission statement, "To protect and enhance the reputation of New Zealand's primary industries" is inclusive of its TB eradication efforts and animal traceability work through its NAIT programme. OSPRI is made up of representatives from the farming sector as well as central and local government. It is accountable to its member organisations and also had responsibilities to the Minister for Primary Industries. Now that the AHB has disbanded, TBfree New Zealand and the national animal identification and tracing (NAIT) scheme are both wholly owned subsidiaries of OSPRI. OSPRI plans to leverage off the capabilities of each of its programmes to help protect and enhance the reputation of New Zealand's primary industries.
Contents
Governance and funding
Governance of the AHB was managed by a Board of Directors, appointed by the member organisations through the now disbanded AHB Representatives’ Committee. It was funded by central government, regional council contributions and the farming sector.
Research
The TBfree New Zealand programme is now responsible for the former AHB’s applied research and development programme which, as of July 2013, continues to operate on a budget of approximately $2.5 million per annum.