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.