An incoming passenger from Hong Kong was refused entry into New Zealand by border officials after a biosecurity detector dog sniffed out lemons concealed in her pants at Auckland Airport. The passenger was returned to Hong Kong on the next available flight.
KVH strongly supports the action taken by Immigration NZ and MPI which sends a firm message to those who deliberately smuggle high-risk food items into NZ.
Lemons from offshore can harbour unwanted pests like fruit fly, which would have a devastating impact on New Zealand’s horticulture industries if it were to enter and establish here.
Read MPI’s press release here.
On 1 October 2016 new conditions around buying and selling kiwifruit plants will come into effect when the Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS) becomes mandatory.
This means only KPCS-certified kiwifruit plants may be bought or sold after this date. However, growers will still be able to ‘grow for their own use’ up to 1000 kiwifruit plants for movement between their own properties within the same Psa-V region.
In the March Kiwiflier growers will have received an information sheet about the KPCS, outlining their options and requirements from 1 October – click here for the online version.
It is important growers are not only aware of their options from 1 October, but they also need to order kiwifruit plants for the upcoming season well in advance (at least one year) to enable nurseries to anticipate demand.
The KPCS has been in place for almost two years and some nurseries have already joined the Scheme and are producing certified plants in several regions – click here for the list of these nurseries.
In 2012 KVH developed the Psa-V biosecurity pocket guide and translated it into several languages to promote harvest hygiene messages.
Growers and contractors are reminded that prior to any movement of orchard machinery they should refer to the relevant KVH Protocol, to confirm whether permission from KVH is required. The need for permission is dependent on the regional classification of where you are moving the machinery from or to. This includes movement of tractors from a machinery sales yard.
Click here to view the KVH Protocol for orchard machinery and infrastructure.
Kiwifruit trunks make great firewood, but growers and orchard managers are reminded of movement control rules for all kiwifruit plant material moving off an orchard. This includes kiwifruit trunks used as firewood.
KVH permission is required if kiwifruit firewood is moved from a Psa-V positive orchard. The only circumstance under which a permission may be given is if the firewood is moved to a location within the same Recovery region. The firewood must be covered in transit.
Moving kiwifruit firewood from a Psa-V positive orchard to a location in a different region, is prohibited. The reason for this rule is to restrict movement of kiwifruit plant material across regions and reduce the risk of resistant bacteria or other pathogens or pests being moved significant distances. KVH wants consistency in managing risk associated with the movement of all plant material.
The KVH Protocol for movement of kiwifruit firewood can be viewed here.
The rule of thumb is to dispose of all kiwifruit plant material on the property of origin using approved disposal methods. These include mulching, burial or burning. Further information can be found in the KVH Protocol for disposal methods, which can be viewed here.
Do not throw the trunks over a bank as they are likely to regrow and cost the landowner to control as wild kiwifruit.
MPI has released a consultation package asking industry for comments on its proposed approach for determining a fruit fly export restriction zone (ERZ) during an incursion. This consultation package is comprised of the following:
