First nursery certification audits take place

17 July 2014

Last week the first nursery audits took place for for the ‘Core Standard’ of the Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS). Certified plants from participating nurseries will be available for purchase from next week.

By tomorrow (Friday) four nurseries will have been audited in Nelson, Gisborne, and Kerikeri. There will be a short delay pending the outcome of diagnostic tests before plants are available from some of these nurseries.

Audits are carried out by external auditors. However, KVH is maintaining visibility and ensuring consistency of the Scheme by reviewing nursery manuals prior to the audit, and being present at all initial audits.

The KPCS was launched in May this year and means growers will be able to purchase certified kiwifruit plants from participating nurseries, giving them assurance they are investing in the best possible start for their plants.

A list of participating nurseries will be available on the KVH website as nurseries complete the process to sell certified Core Standard plants. For more information visit www.kvh.org.nz/kpcs.