The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is providing the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the kiwifruit industry with resources to assist in controlling the Psa disease.

A Psa infected leaf.

Last week the council provided staff and vehicles for surveillance work on orchards and assisted MAF in finding potential disposal sites for prunings from infected vines.

They determined the vines are likely to be disposed of using air curtain incineration in a portable burner, or through deep burial.

While staff are assisting with control of the outbreak, they are banned by the council chief executive from visiting infected kiwifruit orchards.

Regional Council land management group manager Warwick Murray says staff are still able to investigate spray complaints and other urgent pollution issues though.

'This is a time that the kiwifruit industry needs our support and we'll do all we can to make their lives easier and to assist in the response effort,” says Warwick.

The council has also been asked to survey wild kiwifruit for signs of infection.