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On-orchard biosecurity plans

On-orchard biosecurity plans

You need to have an on-orchard biosecurity plan that details how you manage risk on your property. Complete one on paper, or online, using our range of resources. 

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On-orchard biosecurity plans

Implementing on-orchard biosecurity is the responsibility of every person working on or visiting an orchard.

With several high-profile pest and disease introductions into New Zealand, including Psa, kiwifruit growers and orchard workers need to be biosecurity aware to protect themselves and surrounding orchards.

Kiwifruit growers can strengthen their biosecurity plans by using the KVH-produced poster and helpful template booklet.

The 5-step booklet is a set of measures designed to protect a property from the entry and spread of pests and diseases and have been developed to provide guidance, help identify risks, and how to address them.



What is a biosecurity plan?

It's a document that outlines how you manage your orchard and how you will respond to a pest or disease outbreak. It describes your processes on-orchard and how you are addressing biosecurity risks. It can be as short, or long, as you need.

The 5-step booklet is designed to be used as a template, with tips and suggestions for customising a biosecurity plan that works for your operation and that can be built on over time. Make sure that as you personalise your own plan, you involve all orchard staff and contractors so that everyone becomes engaged with the common goal of keeping your orchard and fruit safe.

Having a biosecurity plan in a biosecurity response or an emergency is critical. Early detection and reporting give us the opportunity to suppress any kind of serious disease.

Why have a biosecurity plan?

As a grower or person in charge of an orchard, you need to have a plan that covers the steps you take when moving machinery, tools and plant material on and off your property, how you trace and record all these things, how you manage the risks that might already be present, and the steps you should take if you see anything unusual.

By having a plan written down you can get everybody who's involved in your business on the same page. Investing a little time in establishing good biosecurity practices on your orchard promises a hundredfold reward, not only through the smooth operation of day-to-day business but the avoidance of financial problems, movement restrictions, and possible market access issues in the future from unchecked disease or pest populations.

How do I complete a biosecurity plan?

KVH has designed a biosecurity plan template that you can complete either on paper or online, depending on your preference. Both versions require:

  • the name of the person completing the plan;
  • the KPIN or KPINs the plan is being completed for;
  • a dated declaration from the person completing the plan that the information provided is true and correct in regard to actions taken to manage biosecurity risk.

To help you personalise your plan we have a sample available here that offers ideas and guidance.

You need to keep your plan on file so that you can show it to auditors and provide it to KVH if requested in a biosecurity response. If you choose to complete your plan online a PDF copy will be available for your electronic files.

SEEN SOMETHING UNUSUAL?

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LATEST NEWS

13 Jan 2025

Welcome back

We hope you all had a merry Christmas and were able to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends. We look forward to working with you throughout the year ahead, ensuring our biosecurity system remains strong and we keep damaging exotic pests and diseases from our orchards.

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16 Jan 2025

South Auckland fruit fly controls to remain in place

Legal controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in Papatoetoe will remain in place for the next few weeks as part of the response to the discovery of a single male Oriental fruit fly earlier this month. Sector groups, including KVH staff and industry personnel from Punchbowl and APAC, have been providing support for heightened operational activities, which are continuing a little longer as a precautionary approach. It’s anticipated the restrictions will remain in place until mid-February. This is vital to success in keeping fruit fly out of New Zealand and protecting kiwifruit growers, and horticultural exports. It also ensures we can be confident there is no breeding population – this timeframe is based on scientific advice about the life cycle of the Oriental fruit fly. To date, no other Oriental fruit flies have been found. Fruit fly traps will continue to be regularly checked, and specialist staff in the mobile field laboratory will cut up and inspect fruit and vegetables collected in the area for any signs of larvae. So far more than 200kg of produce has been examined. There is no change to the current movement rules that are in place. The A and B Zone areas in Papatoetoe will remain the same and the instructions on the disposal of produce waste remain unchanged. Significant response updates will continue to be posted on the KVH website as they occur. Useful resources Biosecurity New Zealand website for detailed response maps, information, and resources, in many languages. KVH Oriental fruit fly fact sheet. KVH Oriental fruit fly identification guide.

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14 Jan 2025

Meet the team

Next in our series of team member introductions is Linda Peacock, our Industry Liaison & Technical Specialist. We started this series to share more about the roles we have, and how each of us interact with you, our readers and growers, in our day-to-day activities. I’ve been with KVH since its earliest days in 2011, working with growers and technical teams from all growing regions to build knowledge around best practice, particularly in terms of management of Psa. I was a long-term member of the Psa Steering Group and now am part of the Technical Working Group in the crop protection and market access innovation space where Psa related projects are considered alongside the wider scope of crop protection risks. I enjoy connecting industry players with researchers, to support projects and surveys which underpin both the crop protection and biosecurity industry space. My role has expanded over time to focus more on wider biosecurity, including managing and looking into reports of unusual symptoms seen on vines and fruit, and coordinating KiwiNet members as well as regional coordinators who all help growers and KVH build biosecurity awareness and preparedness. Meeting and sharing knowledge with a wide range of great people across the industry is the best part of my job, especially on-orchard and at field days and workshops where I can help turn technical advice into practical, easy, day-to-day activities for all growers and contractors. When I’m not working, I enjoy gardening and cycling, kayaking, and walking adventures in the great outdoors.

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