Seven jobs and most of the pears Whanganui people have enjoyed for a decade will be gone next season.
Mangamahu grower Nick Tripe will be ripping out 8000 trees at his Glenfield pear orchard next month, and burning them. The smoke should be visible from Whanganui, he said.
The trees will be pulled out because 80 per cent are infected with fire blight, a bacterial disease that kills branches and shrivels the fruit. Eventually the whole tree dies.
As many as 500 tonnes of pears have been harvested at Mr Tripe's Okirae Rd orchard in good years recently. This year only 150 tonnes were saleable.
The orchard had always had some fire blight, he said, but it was under control.