Have your say: proposed plan for managing kiwifruit industry risk

Biosecurity risk is one of the greatest strategic threats to the kiwifruit industry.

This risk is managed across the whole biosecurity system which consists of a number of layers - from keeping as many pests as possible offshore and intercepting those that arrive at the border, to having systems in place within New Zealand to deal with the small residue slippage. There’s also a layer that manages the risk of numerous pathogens that may already be in New Zealand, either native or long established, that start causing disease over time either as a result of a crop being grown in an area or changing environmental conditions (Kauri dieback is one example where the pathogen was present in New Zealand for 300 years before it began causing disease).

As an industry it is fundamental that we have systems in place to reduce the impact of any emerging threats to our industry. As we have seen with Psa, regulation to support biosecurity practice is one important piece of this system.

KVH is seeking feedback on a proposal for a new regulatory framework to better manage biosecurity risk to the kiwifruit industry. After asking for early feedback on the high-level concept of a Pathway Management Plan and how this will better manage risk for the kiwifruit industry, we are now seeking input from the industry on the detail of the full proposal.

The high-level feedback we have had so far has been supportive, with growers and industry considering the concept of the Plan a logical and sensible way to manage biosecurity risk going forward, especially if this can be achieved without an increase in levy cost to growers. The proposal sets out a framework of how risk could be managed across our industry pathways and provides flexibility to respond to changes in risk profiles of organisms, or advances in science to deal with these threats. This provides the industry with a tool to land an appropriate balance of risk management, a balance which is likely to change over time and we can respond accordingly.

A key driver for the development of the new Plan is to ensure that we have measures in place to prevent the spread of a broad range of biosecurity threats, rather than our current regulation, which is specific to a single organism, Psa. Instead of focusing on a single pest, like Psa, the proposed Plan focuses on management of risk associated with the pathways by which diseases or pests are transmitted. This covers the full range of biosecurity threats to our industry and provides for a consistent and pragmatic approach to managing pathway risks such as movement of all plant material, and high-risk equipment coming onto our orchards.

The proposed Plan is very similar in many aspects to the current Psa-V National Pest Management Plan (NPMP) but is more fit-for-purpose, making sure all the right settings are in place so that we can detect anything new quickly enough to stop its spread, limit impacts, and aim for eradication.

The proposed Plan is summarised in the overview sheet available here and detailed in the consultation documents available on the KVH website here. There is also a submission form available – you can either complete it and return it to us or email us at [email protected] to provide comments.

All growers are invited to presentations on the proposal in all growing regions over the coming weeks. The roadshow schedule is available here. Please do come along and provide your input.

We encourage you to have a say and let us know your thoughts on the proposed new Plan before it is finalised and submitted to the Minister for Biosecurity and Ministry for Primary Industries for approval and implementation.