AN amnesty should be offered for the farmers who illegally introduced the rabbit calicivirus disease to New Zealand earlierthis year, Invercargill MP Mark Peck says.
Normally offenders should be pursued and prosecuted but speed was necessary to restore New Zealand's biosecurity, Mr Peck said.
The longer it took to find out how RCD was introduced, the more likely another breach would occur.
Offering an amnesty should bring the culprits forward and an explanation on how they breached New Zealand's border controls more quickly than an investigation into their alleged importation, he said.
Customs officials could then move to protect New Zealand's borders from other outbreaks.
If there were gaps in the system, New Zealand was vulnerable from foreign agents sabotaging the country's reputation for disease-free exports, Mr Peck said.
"Let's not forget the Rainbow Warrior."
It was ironic farmers demanded vigi lance at the borders to keep diseases such as foot and mouth out, yet South Island farmers deliberately breached those borders to bring RCD in to the country illegally.
However, southern list MP Eric Roy said the culprits should be pursued.
Until it was known how the virus was brought in, New Zealand was vulnerable to bioterrorism and industrial espionage.
Both MPs said they did not condone the illegal introduction but could understand the frustration of farmers as they battled against rabbits.
There was anecdotal evidence the disease was in New Zealand up to three weeks before the Agriculture Ministry released its decision not to allow introducion of the disease.
Mr Roy said there were rumours Cromwell-Tarras farmers reported good rabbit kills from 1080 poisoning to mask the presence of RCD.
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