Biosecurity NZ confirms material dumped at private West Coast landfill

A drone view of the private Taylorville landfill which is under investigation by the West Coast Regional Council. Supplied / Greymouth Star

Tomato and capsicum vine material from a diseased Nelson site was briefly dumped at the Taylorville Resource Park landfill, at Coal Creek, Biosecurity NZ has confirmed.

The landfill is currently being investigated by the West Coast Regional Council for a foul odour which is believed to be linked to contaminants in water sumps at the site with a possible link to material linked to tomato growing disposed of at the privately-owned landfill.

Biosecurity NZ director of readiness and response John Walsh said they had briefly arranged to dump some tomato-related material near Greymouth in January when another site in the Tasman district was unavailable for a few days.

This was the result of detection of an outbreak of a mild form of potato spindle tuber viroid (PTSVd) near Nelson last November.

Biosecurity NZ had been jointly responding with senior partners in the horticulture sector after PTSVd was detected on tomato plants and capsicums at a commercial operation in Tasman.

”The plant and tomato waste was transported under strict biosecurity controls to a local Tasman landfill, where the waste was deep-buried,” Walsh said.

However, over two to three days in early January while the roads surrounding the local landfill in Tasman were undergoing construction work, Biosecurity NZ used the Taylorville facility near Greymouth.

This was done with resource consent and in consultation with the regional council, “to deep bury some plant and tomato waste material”.

Walsh said it was a matter of only days before they resumed normal disposal at the Tasman site.

”We think it is unlikely that plant material that has been deep buried, and many months ago, would emit any offensive odour.”

Walsh said PTSVd has been found in New Zealand on two previous occasions and successfully eradicated.

The latest response included removing and destroying plants from the affected glasshouse.

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