Newsroom

The seriousness of meeting biosecurity requirements was highlighted recently with the company and director of a nursery who illegally took 220 imported plants out of quarantine after just one day, fined $42,500. Elliott Wholesale Nursery Limited - which is not a kiwifruit nursery - is a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) registered Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facility. Under the Biosecurity Act, imported plants should be in quarantine for three months. In September 2022, the nursery imported 600 Nandina domestica tissue culture – an evergreen shrub from Australia. The plants were unpacked and placed in PEQ, where they needed to remain for the full three months. However, after just one day, Mr Elliot removed 220 of these plants, placing them in a non PEQ area. To avoid detection and to circumnavigate the biosecurity rules designed to protect New Zealand from potentially unwanted pests and diseases, he replaced these plants with similar looking domestic plants, which he admitted doing to an employee who questioned him. No pests or diseases were found on the plants that were taken out of the quarantine facility.

KVH was thrilled to present a biosecurity competition module as part of the National Young Grower of the Year finals in Hawke’s Bay yesterday (Wednesday). The six contestants were tested on their general knowledge of pathway risk management and on-orchard biosecurity planning. They all showed a great understanding of how to protect their property boundaries, and the practical steps to make a great biosecurity plan that ensures best biosecurity practice every day. Winners of the regional fruit and vegetable grower competitions were the contestants that battled it out across seven modules for the grand title, with the winner announced later this evening (Thursday) so be sure to check the news or the Young Grower of the Year website here.

Another example of bogus, or at least inaccurate, declaration details involved a recent package from Australia that was supposed to contain glass beads. Further scrutiny by officers at the International Mail Centre revealed four packets of germinating seeds on wet tissue paper. The parcel was destroyed, and the importer received a letter outlining their biosecurity responsibilities.

KVH operates an Unusual Symptom process where we encourage growers and members of the industry to report anything unexpected happening on-orchard. Early reporting gives us the best possible chance of successfully managing any biosecurity risk and thereby reducing impacts to growers and wider industry. Earlier this year, an orchard was sampled that had pockets of vines showing symptoms of poor cane and canopy development, splitting, and cankering on the trunks and relatively poor root systems. Multiple kiwifruit pathogens were identified from these samples, which is common in this process, as well as a new-to-New Zealand oomycete (fungus-like organism), Phytopythium helicoides. As P. helicoides is a known pathogen to horticultural and ornamental plants from 20 families, as well as kiwifruit, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigated to determine any biosecurity risk. While P. helicoides has not been previously detected in New Zealand, it is not necessarily a new arrival. In fact, our increased surveillance efforts and the recent advances in molecular diagnostics mean that we are often discovering organisms that we weren’t previously aware of in kiwifruit orchards. KVH and Zespri Innovation recently commissioned a Phytophthora survey of kiwifruit orchards for this very reason, to build our baseline knowledge of pathogens that already exist within our industry orchards and ensure we take appropriate action for any future new detections. To support this investigation, samples collected from this research were able to be revisited and evidence was found to confirm that P. helicoides is not a new arrival, has been present in New Zealand since at least 2022 but probably much longer, and is present in multiple kiwifruit growing regions. KVH has worked with growers where this organism has been detected to ensure appropriate on-orchard practices are in place to manage risk, and MPI have now closed the investigation confident that management of comparable diseases already present in New Zealand will likely be effective to also manage P. helicoides. This case study serves as a reminder of the value of proactive research to build our baseline knowledge, growers reporting unusual symptoms, and all of us as an industry not being complacent in on-orchard biosecurity practices - as we never know where and when the next biosecurity threat will appear.

On school holidays overseas, kiwi kid Leo from the Bay of Plenty couldn’t help being a biosecurity champion and reporting his bug find. While out-and-about in Germany, young Leo saw what he knew was a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) and snapped a photo to send through to dad back home in New Zealand. Needless to say, he’ll be double checking his belongings and bags before returning home. See Leo’s BMSB photos here. This level of vigilance (especially while on holiday) is great to see – a big shout out from KVH to Leo for being so aware of what the BMSB looks like, and for knowing what to do to ensure it doesn’t travel back to New Zealand with him. This is an example of how easily one of these bugs could make its way here and what a difference each of one of us can make just by being aware and taking a few simple steps. Everyone in the kiwifruit industry has a responsibility to manage biosecurity risks when travelling. We’ve developed best practice for kiwifruit growers to help reduce biosecurity risk after being overseas (especially if also visiting an orchard or farm); and to explain what growers can expect at border control when arriving back in New Zealand.

The kiwifruit industry has a strong focus on ensuring orchard services agreements between orchardists and beekeepers are agreed ahead of the pollination season. These conversations also provide the perfect opportunity to discuss mutual biosecurity requirements, as beekeepers need to supply growers with a copy of their Non-CAV Contractors Biosecurity Plan and orchardists also need to highlight their own site requirements. There are a range of bee pests and diseases present in New Zealand, which are challenging for our hive providers, and there is value in both beekeepers and the public being on the lookout for the unusual, as there is always some level of risk that exotic bee pests and diseases could slip in across the border. New incursions would have significant effects on both the beekeeping industry and the sectors they support. See a summary of bee pest and diseases here. Bee biosecurity resources can be found on the Biosecurity New Zealand website, including their Bee Biosecurity Guide for beekeepers and Bee Biosecurity Essentials. A new research platform also gives beekeepers a chance to share their expertise to improve the health of the nation’s beehives. Through pollination, growers can support bee biosecurity by providing bees with a clean water source, and by contacting their beekeeper if hives appear down on foraging activity, there are problems with swarming bees, or large numbers of dead hives are seen outside hive entrances. Hygiene is a key component of bee biosecurity so it is important that planned hive audits, and sugar feeding activities are also discussed as diseases can be transferred between hives by poor hygiene practices. The importance of continuing to work with and learn from the apiculture industry was highlighted at one of our most popular 2024 Biosecurity Symposium sessions, featuring Danny Le Feuvre’s reflections from the Australian Varroa Mite response,