Industry forms incorporated society to tackle Psa

Brown, angular leaf spots sometimes surrounded by a yellowish halo symptomise PSA. Photo / ZESPRI

The New Zealand kiwifruit industry has formed an incorporated society to help tackle the recent outbreak of Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae, or Psa.

Kiwifruit Vine Health Incorporated (KVH) was formed at a meeting of the New Zealand kiwifruit Industry Advisory Council last night and will be incorporated in the coming days.

Psa was first found at orchards in the Bay of Plenty early last month, but has since been found at orchards around the country. The bacterial disease can cause cankers on the vine and in bad cases cause vine dieback or the death of the plant.

Kiwifruit exports are worth more than $1.5 billion to the New Zealand economy.

KVH will operate as a non-profit body and has been tasked with implementing the containment strategy for Psa, including negotiating funding agreements with the Government and ZESPRI Group and making financial assistant payments to growers.

The body will also develop and implement a long term pest management and monitoring plan for Psa.

The board of directors for KVH were also confirmed last night, and comprises of representatives from ZESPRI, post harvest suppliers, New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Deputy chairman of ZESPRI, Peter McBride, will be the chair of KVH.

- NZHERALD STAFF