Urgent Debates Declined — Dairy Products, Milk Powder—Response to Contamination Incident

I have received a letter from the Hon Damien O’Connor seeking to debate under Standing Order 386 the stopping of 42 metric tonnes of New Zealand - produced milk powder at the Chinese border, because of an alleged testing failure in the systems approved by the Ministry for Primary Industries in May 2013. For there to be a particular case of recent occurrence there must be a new situation of sufficient importance to warrant a debate being held. While this is a new development, I am not convinced that it justifies the setting aside of the business of the House today. The Government has released draft terms of reference of an inquiry for its investigation into the whey contamination incident and regulatory best practice requirements. An interim report is expected in some 3 months. There will be other occasions for the House to consider these matters. The application is, therefore, declined.