Kiwifruit growers in Te Puke no longer have to get their vines tested in a lab to confirm Psa-V – it is going to be taken as a ‘given' because the infection is so widespread.

Kiwifruit Vine Health Incorporated is no longer funding the testing of samples from orchards within the Te Puke priority zone.

A Psa-V infected vine.

KVH general manger John Burke says they are not going to pay for the testing as Psa is already across all of the kiwifruit region.

'In Te Puke, it's just been filling in the red dots amongst all the orchards because the infection is so widespread.

'The reason we pay for testing is to know where the infection footprint is – we know that it's covering all of Te Puke now.”

John says growers in Te Puke will understand the decision because it helps KVH conserve their funding. Testing for Psa costs between $65 and $200 says John.

'What we are saying to growers in Te Puke is ‘look – if you have a symptomatic vine and you have that confirmed by a technical person, then we will still mark your orchard as Psa-V without having to have the test done'.”

More than 90 per cent of Gold orchards and more than 55 per cent of Green orchards in Te Puke have been confirmed with the vine bacteria Psa-V.

'We now have a widespread and reasonably dense infection right across the region so there is no real financial cost/benefit of paying for the testing for the remaining unconfirmed orchards in that area.”
New Zealand kiwifruit growers president Peter Ombler says KVH has to be clear on making decisions on how to spend money and where to spend it effectively.

'At the end of the day, money only goes so far, so KVH has to consider carefully how that money is spent and there becomes a point that the inoculum spread in Te Puke is obviously everywhere.

'It's not just landing in my orchard and in your orchard next door; it's all over the place.

'There is no real point paying for certain things once you know the situation.”