T E S T I N G
FRUIT TREES TO BE
DESTROYED
Almost 48,000 imported apple and stonefruit plants
and small trees scattered over 50 sites in Hawke’s
Bay, Waikato, Nelson and central Otago could be
threatened in the aftermath of an MPI audit of an
under-performing American offshore testing facility.
Thirty-two nurseries, importers and
growers will need to contain and may
need to destroy trees and plants to
protect New Zealand from biosecurity
risk, MPI says. The Washington State
facility’s testing can not be relied
upon, MPI’s Pete Thomson says,
and critical non-compliances included
record-keeping, deficiencies in
testing, incorrect reporting of results
and missing records. Two tests were
recorded as negative for Hop stunt
viroid and Apple stem grooving virus,
Thomson says, but later recorded
as positive during final tests, which
MPI was not told about. “MPI can’t
be certain the affected plant material
is free of pests and diseases of
concern,” he says. “We have been
working closely with nurseries,
importers, growers and industry to
get to a position where the value and
significance of this plant material is
recognised, but where biosecurity
protection comes first. Their input
has been carefully considered
throughout this process. The steps
we’re taking ensure risks are properly
managed through containment and
testing. These measures provide
the possibility that priority apple and
stonefruit varieties may be released
in the future if no pests or diseases
are found.” Nurseries and importers
can contain the affected apple plant
material (around 21,000 plants and
small trees) at existing sites under
specific requirements including
access restrictions, no movement of
28 SEPTEMBER 2018
plant material, and regular monitoring
for any signs of disease. MPI is
confident that the testing recently
carried out in New Zealand on some
of the affected apple plant material
confirms there are no major pests
or diseases of concern. For affected
stonefruit plant material (around
26,500 plants and small trees,) the
biosecurity risk and containment
requirements are higher. Nurseries
and importers will be able to select a
small amount of cuttings and potted
plants from stonefruit varieties to
retain in the appropriate level of
containment facility. Stonefruit plant
material which cannot be contained
will need to be destroyed. Thomson
says it is for nurseries and importers
to decide what plant varieties and
how much plant material they wanted
to retain, as they will be responsible
for containment and testing costs.
“MPI will be supervising the
containment process and also the
steps required to properly destroy
the plant material. It must be either
contained or destroyed before the
onset of spring. Currently plants
and pests are not as active and the
risk of spreading potential pests and
diseases is at a minimum.” He says
MPI will consider claims for the direct
cost of lost plant material.” Following
the steps New Zealand has taken,
Australia has also suspended Clean
Plant Centre Northwest’s status as
an approved source of stonefruit
plant material.