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Exotic fruit flies and the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) are considered two of the biggest biosecurity threats to the kiwifruit industry and from now they are both in their highest-risk period for entry into New Zealand. A quick reminder of the damage these unwanted pests can do and what to look out for: Fruit flies: High likelihood of entry – have crossed our borders many times. Production impacts for a range of horticultural crops but considered low for kiwifruit. Severe market access restrictions, particularly for Queensland Fruit Fly which is not present in most major kiwifruit markets. Highly effective surveillance system with around 8000 traps nationwide. BMSB: Pierces kiwifruit resulting in fruit drop and rot. Fruit loss is typically 5-10% but up to 30% on worst blocks. Extremely difficult to eradicate – early detection is essential. Major nuisance pest overwintering inside homes in huge numbers. High likelihood of entry as a hitchhiker on shipping containers, cars, machinery, and luggage. National surveillance system and kiwifruit industry surveillance system, but this pest is not as strongly attracted to traps, so we also rely on public reporting. Please keep an eye out for this pest especially! For more information on these and other biosecurity threats to the kiwifruit industry, see our Kiwifruit’s Most Unwanted list on the KVH website and contact us on 0800 665 825 if you would like posters or leaflets about these pests sent out to you.

A reminder to RSVP and join our upcoming industry event showcasing the planning, capability building, and training underway as the industry builds its new Emergency Response Management (ERM) framework. With KVH at the helm, operational capability across the industry is being identified and trained, aimed at ensuring there is expertise ready to jump in, in the event of a significant adverse event that affects vine health on-orchard. Taking place Wednesday 30 October at Club Mount, Mount Maunganui, all are welcome to join our interactive scenario, learning more about how we would all work together to respond to a fictional summer extreme weather event that will take place in Northland. You’ll learn about the response framework and see how the response team works together in their different functions, with the opportunity to provide input into activities. All your questions about who does what, how, when, and why, will all be answered. When: 9.00am - 3.00pm, Wednesday 30 October Where: Club Mount, 45 Kawaka Street, Mount Maunganui RSVP: Online here If you have any questions, please get in touch.

The kiwifruit industry has introduced biosecurity controls to reduce the risk of pests and diseases being spread through the movement of nursery plants and shelter plants. The Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS) is a major component of this and ensures all nurseries selling kiwifruit plants and shelter plants are managing biosecurity risk. The movement of plant material is considered a high-risk pathway for transporting pests and pathogens over long distances. This includes known threats such as Cherry Leaf Roll Virus and Psa, but also other threats that may be present in New Zealand but not yet detected, such as Ceratocystis fimbriata. Without biosecurity controls on internal pathways, a new pest or pathogen is likely to be widespread by the time it is detected and the window for eradication may have been missed. Because of this, all nurseries and growers must meet their biosecurity responsibilities and maintain traceability. What you need to know Growers can grow plants on the property they are to be used on without any KVH controls.Growers can also move plants between KPINs under the same ownership (but only to a maximum of 1000 plants per year). Traceability records must be maintained but there are no registration or certification requirements.If more than 1000 plants per year are moved between a grower’s properties or plants are moved to another grower, then the grower must become a KPCS nursery. Growers purchasing plants must source them from KPCS certified nurseries, you can find a full list of certified nurseries here. Avoid complacency Know your responsibilities. Plan Rule 6: safe movement of nursery plants and shelter belt plants is within the industry Pathway Management Plan to protect individual growers and the industry from unnecessary risk. A breach of this rule is an offence under the Biosecurity Act 1993, and the penalty for this is: (a) in the case of an individual person, a fine not exceeding $5,000;(b) in the case of a corporation, a fine not exceeding $15,000.

Proposals to strengthen the country’s vital biosecurity system, including greater flexibility around importing requirements, fairer cost sharing for biosecurity responses, higher fines for passengers bringing in undeclared high-risk goods, and higher fines for passengers bringing in undeclared high-risk goods have been released for public consultation. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has completed a review of the current Biosecurity Act 1993, which has included active input from KVH and many others. While the Biosecurity Act is working well, there are some critical areas that need legislative change and MPI is proposing amendments that will update and modernise the Act. There are a range of proposals for discussion - KVH will be making a submission on behalf of the kiwifruit industry which we will discuss in more detail in future Bulletins and share with you before finalising. The consultation package contains more than 70 proposals that span a range of areas in the biosecurity system, including: system-wide issuesfunding and compensationborder and importsreadiness and responselong-term managementsurveillance and legislative interfaces. If you would like to know more or review any of the proposals, please visit the MPI website here. Submissions close Friday 29 November 2024, and KVH welcomes any discussion you would like to have about our submission, or your own. Please feel free to get in touch.

Plant & Food Research (PFR) Te Puke recently hosted two international scientists, Ana Pérez-Sierra from Spain and Trudy Paap from South Africa, who shared information from research projects on phytophthora species. Phytophthora are soil-borne oomycetes or “water moulds” that can cause root and crown rot in a wide number of plants including kiwifruit. Ana, from Instituto Valenciano De investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA) described how phytophthora species can transition from agricultural or horticultural settings to forestry and natural ecosystems and vice-versa, resulting in significant challenges across many global landscapes. P. ramorum (sudden oak death) is one example of a phytophthora species that has killed millions of oaks and other tree species throughout California. Trudy who is now based at the University of Pretoria, presented on her work as a forestry pathologist in Western Australia where more than 40% of native plant species have been affected by the inadvertent introduction of P. cinnamomi (known there as Jarrah dieback). She also described current projects in the global biodiversity hotspot of the Greater Cape Floristic Region of South Africa where many endemic and endangered species are significantly challenged by the spread of P. Cinnamoni. This disease was first reported in South Africa in 1931 from avocado orchards. Silent spread of phytophthoras occurs via pathways such as human activity, trade in infected nursery plants, agricultural run-off, restoration projects, and by natural dispersal through soil and water movement including during flooding and extreme weather events. Co-ordinated efforts across sectors were recommended to prevent or reduce threats. Risk assessments to identify vulnerable areas, biosecurity measures including quarantine regulations, monitoring to ensure early detection, hygiene practices, diagnostic tools, and public awareness were identified as key in reducing impacts of these harmful organisms. Invasive phytophthoras are amongst the top eight biosecurity threats to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry. PFR, KVH, and Zespri have previously worked together on a survey of phytophthora pathogens in kiwifruit orchards throughout the country, to gain an understanding of our current baseline of phytophthora species associated with kiwifruit. A literature review on the potential impacts on kiwifruit and kiwiberry has also been completed. Biosecurity controls are in place to reduce the risk of phytophthoras being spread through the movement of kiwifruit plants and shelter plants, via the industry Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS) which identifies phytophthora as a target organism. The Plant Pass scheme for nurseries producing shelter plants only also includes a phytophthora specific module. These schemes ensure traceability, nursery hygiene measures and disease management plans are in place and audited annually.

Anna Li has joined the KVH team as our new Systems Coordinator. Anna’s role is to support KVH’s IT infrastructure and provide data and mapping support to the team, as well as create practical new tools and systems for KVH that can be used to help provide online services to growers – particularly around traceability. Her background spans web development, software programming and mapping, offering a diverse mix of expertise to support the team. Additionally, with a horticulture certificate, she has deep insights into pest and disease control within orchard management, enriching her understanding of the agricultural sector. Before joining KVH, Anna worked as a professional landscape architect, contributing to projects ranging from residential developments to large public spaces. This role provided her with valuable experience in mapping, translating information into geographic formats, and delivering tangible results for communities.