Four post-harvest companies are reviewing legal advice about whether to take legal action over the introduction of the aggressive kiwifruit disease Psa-V.

Seeka CEO Michael Franks says the advice is `reasonably strong' but a decision on a court case and who it would be against won't be made for six to eight weeks.

The companies which have combined to consider the class action are Seeka, EastPack, Satara and Mount Pack and Cool.

It is unclear if the action would be against the Government, the Ministry of Primary Industries (formerly MAF) or companies which might be implicated in the importation of material which may have introduced the bacteria to this country, he says.

'Psa was not introduced by growers but they have lost capital value and suffered distress. If it is true that it got here because of a breech at the border then they should be able to seek redress. It is too premature for me to say against whom.”

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc President Neil Trebilco says the growers' organisation is also considering legal action.

'We are still talking with our legal advisors over the possibility and haven't ruled out taking action but that's not likely in the immediate future,” he says.

Neil says Psa-V, which has been particularly deadly to gold vines, has probably at least halved the value of the industry.

'The industry was said to be worth around $5 billion and Psa has more than halved that. In addition Bay of Plenty gold growers have not only lost equity they will also have no income from a gold crop this coming season.”

The Sapere Report was commissioned by the Ministry for Primary Industries (formerly MAF) at the request of the kiwifruit industry.

'It was a pretty hard hitting, independent report and the Ministry didn't come out smelling like roses. They are to be commended for commissioning the report and have acted on many of its recommendation.”

However, Neil says the report did not identify exactly how Psa arrived in New Zealand.

Anthers (male flower parts) imported by a Te Puke company have been implicated but the evidence is not clear, he says.

'In allowing the import, MAF was acting on advice it received in a scientific paper which said pollen was not a vector for bacteria.”

In 2010, shortly after Psa was identified in this country, the Government made a grant of $25 million which was matched by a further $25 million from the kiwifruit industry to help fight the disease.

Since then significant government and Zespri funds, plus those from the post-harvest industries have been invested in finding ways to manage Psa. Neil says while those funds are for the good of the entire industry, they do little to help the immediate needs of growers whose orchards are hard hit.

'However, growers are saying to me now that we have to move on and learn to deal with Psa. The reality is that kiwifruit growers have joined all other fruit growers who have battled bacterial diseases for decades, or more. The thing about Psa is that it is a particularly aggressive bacteria which has struck one variety very hard.”

The good news is that green vines, which early in spring appeared to be suffering badly, now looked as if they would grow through the disease and produce a crop, Neil says.

The more Psa tolerant new variety G3 has yet to prove itself but other new more tolerant varieties were in the pipeline.

'The industry is in for some hard and difficult years but we will learn from this and will come back stronger.”