A festering sore that worries the horticulture industry has continued to spread following an announcement by Agriculture Minister David Carter.

David has announced he is prepared to go ahead with what he calls a 'joint resourcing and decision-making” pest incursion and response policy.
MAF wants the horticulture industry to pay for the clean-up of pest incursions. In return it is offering industry greater involvement in the decision making about how to respond to incursions.
The idea was mooted in 2007 under the previous government and Horticulture New Zealand's senior business manager Ken Robertson says he was a little surprised the new minister had taken to the idea so quickly.
Ken says the industry has been lobbying MAF over the issue from the first time it was mentioned because they see it as an unacceptable impost upon growers.
'The government has not listened to the horticulture industry on this. It is all very easy for the minister to say industry groups can pay. But we then have to go to our 7000 growers to ask them if they will vote to pay a levy.”
Ken says the cost of cleaning up the painted apple moth in Auckland in 1999 was $65 million and the attempt to get rid of varroa has cost nearly $20 million. He says the industry is unlikely to be able to afford another levy at this time, especially when the costs could be so high.
The announcement comes just two weeks after government decided 100 per cent trans-Tasman baggage screening is to end.
Ken has said the industry intends to continue lobbying the government over the issue.