Earlier this week KiwiNet members from across post-harvest organisations, and representatives from Farmlands, Horticentre and Fruitfed, met with KVH for an industry biosecurity and readiness update. This included a review of the KiwiNet purpose and ongoing value to the industry, 10 years on from the initial launch in 2014.

As a theme setter Lisa Gibbison presented the findings from her recently completed Kellogg project “Who do growers trust in a time of crisis?”. A key message was the value of developing and maintaining networks across time as these build the trust that knits people together in times of crisis. KVH and Zespri were seen as trusted industry leaders.

Matt Dyck, KVH Biosecurity Manager outlined the interaction between the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and support organisations in the event of a biosecurity response, and the commonalities between readiness training for biosecurity and the newer industry Emergency Response Management (ERM) framework in which KVH also has a key role.

Updates on our industry surveillance projects, a whirlwind global overview of biosecurity challenges, and a short update on unusual symptoms highlighted both the emerging threats and the valuable research projects and collaborations that are ongoing in the biosecurity space.

More information about KiwiNet can be found here. A copy of Lisa’s Kellogg research project and presentations from the workshop will be posted on the KVH website shortly.