Min1o-725 221 March 2011 Russell Baker and Rob Bayly landebaker@farmside.co.nz Dear Russell Boker and Rob Bayly ‘The Minister for Biosecurity has asked that I respond to the concerns raised in your emails to him of and 9 March 2011, regarding the management by Kiwift Vine Heal Ine (KVH) ‘ofthe Psa response. I further refer to the Minister's lete to you dated 15 March 2011 “The kiwiftuit industry, from the iil detection of Ps, has expressed a strong preference to Jead the Psa response, The Government agreed to support an industr-led programme, and KVE was setup bythe industry to manage the sponse, KVH’s primary responsibility is therefore tothe wider kiwifruit industry, rather than to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) othe Minister [As MAP's exoffico representative on KVH’s board, Ihave been working closely with KVH since its formation. 1 am confident that KVH is working to deal withthe Psa outbreak as best it ean, given the limited information around the disease and how twill affect kiwi vines in New Zealand In responding tothe discovery of any new disease, a balance must be struck between the athering of sufficient local data and making prudent decisions based on experience with Psa ‘mother countries. KVH believes its programme is the best response to Psa based on the information currently available, { would be interested in seeing any ssientiic data that you ae able ta provide to support your view that KVH's management strategy is not based on sound science, During the Psa response, KVH has worked closely with scientists at MAF and Plant & Food Research, 3s wel staking into account advice from international scientists and Italy's experince with Psa. I accep that there exist differences of opinion about how the New Zealand indus should respond to Psa, However, tothe best of my knowledge, KVH his sete, and continaes toc, on the accepted body of scientific knowledge about Psa,KVH hus acknowledged that there is no guarantee its strategy will succeed. However, the industry considered a range of altematives before choosing this path, I agree that he cutting bck of infected vines proposed by KV isa very serous measur, but KVH consis this appropriate in light ofthe risk posed to te kiwifut industry by Psa. Iam satisfied that KVHL has been open with growers about the potential fr vines to die a «result of having been cut back, and has made public statements to this effect. KVH hus advised MAF that no orchard hasbeen identified as Psa-V positive solely on the basis of visual inspection of primary symptoms (i, leat-spottng). Al orchards that KVH ‘considers to be infected with Psi-V have fist had the presence of Psa confirmed by laboratory {esting. Because ofthe difficulty in obtaining pure cultures of Psa V and Psa LV to sistnguish between strains, KV has concluded that some orchards are infected with Pst-V based on visual symptoms in advance of laboratory confirmation, This primarily relates ‘etses where more advanced symptoms have been observed, You express doubt that Psa symptoms will progress ina similar manner totaly, and suggest ‘hat conventional horeultural management techniques could be used to control Pst. Ona ‘number of Psa-V infected orchards, disease progression from leaf spotting to vascular infection and carkers has happened in maier very similar to that observed in Italy. ink between leaf spotting and infection of vascular tissue has been demonstrted by De Francesco Spinelli fom the University of Bologna, who presented his research to a growers” forum in Te Puke on 4 March this yar. 4s you do not specify wht ‘vied and proven horticultural practices’ you believe can be used to manage Psa, it is difficult to comment en this point note that eopper and oer ant- bacterial agents are routinely sprayed to contol other bacterial diseases. However, iti not believed they willbe effective against infection in the vascular tissue. This has led othe KVH recommendation thi vines infected with Psi-V be cutback to remove infected vascular tissue. Once the infected vines have been cutback to healthy tissue, its hoped that Psa ean be controlled using hactereidal spraying. ‘You raise concems that growers are being improperly coerced into cutting ot thet vines ‘through fear of missing out on compensation furs, The funding agreement between KVHL ‘and the Crown puts a cap on the amount of Crown funding availabe, and specifies the end of| December 2011 as the final date on which agreements to corapensate growers using this funding canbe entered into. Additionally, i i posible the available funds wil be fully ‘commited before this date. I see nothing eoereve in advising growers tha the funding package to partially compensate losses arising fom Psu control measures will nt continue indefinitely As to your comment that the capital value of kiwiffat orchards is being erode, the presence ‘of potentially serious new disease is bound to have an effet on orchard prices, respective ‘of what measures ae proposed to control the disease. One way that any decrease in kiwifut ‘orchard vale can be countered is to suecessflly develop a strategy to minimise the impact of Psa and to implement it on affected propetics,Finally, as KVE is coordinating the response to Psa on behalf ofthe kiwittu industry, it my ‘be appropriate to work with KV in the first instance, to ensure your concems are considered in the development of lnger term management arrangements, Yours sincerely David Hayes Director Readiness and Response CC: Hon David Caner Minister for Biosecurity Parliament Buildings WELLINGTON,