BMSB biosecurity partnership renewed

An important agreement to ensure we continue to fight the threat of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) has been renewed and updated by Government and nine of New Zealand’s largest horticulture industry groups, including KVH.

BMSB is widely regarded as one of the most significant biosecurity threats New Zealand faces and is one of the kiwifruit industry’s Most Unwanted.

The BMSB Operational Agreement was first signed in July 2017 and was the second such agreement under the Government Industry Agreement for Biosecurity Readiness and Response (GIA). The Agreement sets out the operational requirements for biosecurity readiness and response as well as cost sharing between the Government and affected industries. Its renewal ensures that New Zealand continues to be protected from the threat of BMSB arriving and as a country is well-prepared in the event a response is required, which thankfully has not yet occurred.

An unmanaged BMSB incursion would cost the horticulture industry billions of dollars and would have significant negative impacts on the New Zealand public, and potentially on taonga species of special significance for Māori. It would also have a major impact on New Zealand’s trade relationships with the economy likely to be hit hard.

The new agreement took effect from 13 July 2023, and has a five-year term. Importantly, under the GIA partnership, Government and industry have achieved far more than would have been possible working in isolation of each other.

KVH is working with Zespri and the wider kiwifruit industry to ensure we are well prepared for BMSB. This includes running regular simulation exercises, hosting workshops, and developing joint workplans for how we would manage an incursion and long-term response. Read more on the KVH website here.