OUR VIEW: No secrecy on feared vine blight

News that a potentially devastating kiwifruit vine disease has been discovered on Western Bay orchards is a huge worry to the industry - but should also be of concern to other people in the region.
This newspaper broke the story on Monday that the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. Actinidiae (Psa) had most likely been found on a North Island orchard.
Yesterday, we reported the disease had been positively identified at a Te Puke orchard and today we reveal it has spread to other orchards. Alarmingly, 18 others fear they may have the disease.
Quarantine measures are in place as experts establish whether it is the same strain that has decimated vines in Italy, or a strain that is not quite so damaging.
The news has sent shockwaves through the industry and left growers shaken. It confirms what many insiders describe as their worst fears, potentially putting at risk hundreds of millions of dollars the fruit earns for the region and the country.
We should all be concerned. Kiwifruit is such a big earner for the Bay - its exports are worth $1.5 billion a year to New Zealand and is 20 per cent of the Western Bay's GDP.
Given this, it is crucial biosecurity investigators pull out all stops to determine just how this disease, which infects orchards in parts of Asia and Europe, found its way on to this orchard.
Crucial questions need to be answered - and these answers made public because this is a public-interest issue.
What is also of concern is that some growers have asked for the location of the infected orchards to be revealed.
Zespri is considering this but so far authorities are trying to keep this information secret.
The industry, in particular, and the public have a right to know where the infected orchards are and the publicising of such information could even help track and contain the problem.
It is crucial there is openness about the movements of pollination hives, orchard contractors or equipment from orchard to orchard. It is difficult to see how secrecy will help.
Another issue is how quickly do authorities react. They have so far decided the 70 infected vines on the first orchard would not be removed and burnt, as happened in Italy, because it they needed to assess if it was feasible, affordable or desirable to do so.
The industry needs to have confidence that swift action will take place if needed.
Ultimately, if the outbreak is confirmed as being the most virulent strain, countries that don't have the disease, such as China and India, might close their borders to us.
This would be a disaster and would mean local people and their incomes, and associated industries, will be affected.
The United States has already moved, stopping the importation of kiwifruit plant material in the form of wood stock.
Hopefully, this outbreak is contained and the industry manages to scrape through this crisis.