Have your say: draft Import Health Standard for importing Actinidia plants

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is inviting comment on the proposed Import Health Standard for Actinidia plants for planting.

The Standard sets out the proposed import requirements for Actinidia nursery stock, specifically for plants in vitro (tissue culture), imported into New Zealand for further propagation. This pathway has not been active since 2013 because of the Psa incursion.

Growers are invited to make comment on the proposed standard, which is available on the MPI website. Please email your feedback on the consultation document by 5pm Friday 4 May 2018 – information about how to do this by email or post is available on the website.

KVH recognises the importation of new kiwifruit material is an important component in maintaining the competitive advantage of our industry, however the risk of introducing new biosecurity threats must be carefully managed. Tissue culture is regarded as the most promising process for producing clean material and provides the opportunity for verification measures to be included in the production process to ensure risks are managed to an acceptable level. The consultation package includes information about the risk organisms that could potentially be transmitted on this pathway, and the proposed measures to mitigate this risk.

We will be making a submission on behalf of the industry and as part of that we’re engaging with experts in the science community in New Zealand and internationally to ensure we have specific technical advice available on the risks of what is being proposed.

We encourage growers to also make submissions – we’ll keep you fully informed before any decisions are made on the outcome of this pathway.

If you have any questions about the formal consultation process or KVH’s submission, please contact us on 0800 665 825 or email [email protected].