Health committee  I think what it comes down to is if you keep a lot of animals in a small space, they can't engage in natural behaviours and if they are with unfamiliar other species, they're going to get sick. That's the bottom line. We can't manufacture our way out of it with technology and suc

Health committee  Absolutely. Currently there is very poor data collection on which wild animals are coming in. We don't know their history, and there's very little biosecurity at the border. We need a comprehensive, detailed dataset to analyze risks. What animals are coming in? What are the risks

Health committee  When animals are stressed, whether it's in captive conditions or in the wild, and when we encroach on their habitats, they are being forced to interact with each other, which might not have happened before. They come into situations where the disease pressures are rising and they

Health committee  I don't know if there are any direct links that I'm aware of, but it is certainly possible. The most well-known link is chytrid fungus, which is affecting our native populations. For farm animals, we do import mink, for example, which played a huge role during COVID in the spre

Health committee  That will be Melissa Matlow. She will give the statement for us.