Thank you Karen. I have been in contact with people at Health New Zealand and at ESR but unfortunately, due to the current administration’s cuts to the budget they think it is unlikely to be implemented anytime soon. Feedback from one scientist at ESR was that the sequencing cost was still too high, although perhaps he would change his mind when the costs are compared to the estimated damages. In regard to industrial animal agriculture, this may be a problem in New Zealand that I am ignorant of, but it seems most likely the pathogen would emerge internationally rather than locally, hence my focus on border detection, although you make a good point and I’m glad that area is not being completely neglected.
Thank you Karen. I have been in contact with people at Health New Zealand and at ESR but unfortunately, due to the current administration’s cuts to the budget they think it is unlikely to be implemented anytime soon. Feedback from one scientist at ESR was that the sequencing cost was still too high, although perhaps he would change his mind when the costs are compared to the estimated damages.
In regard to industrial animal agriculture, this may be a problem in New Zealand that I am ignorant of, but it seems most likely the pathogen would emerge internationally rather than locally, hence my focus on border detection, although you make a good point and I’m glad that area is not being completely neglected.