Last chance for submissions: importing Actinidia plants

Growers have until 5pm Friday (tomorrow) to provide feedback to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) 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.

KVH is 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’ll keep you fully informed before any decisions are made on the outcome of this pathway.

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 and this is the focus of our submission. 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.

Information about how to submit feedback is available on the MPI website - 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.

If you have any questions about the submission process or content for your own submission, please contact us at [email protected] or phone us on 0800 665 825.