About Psa

Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae Psa is a bacteria that can result in the death of kiwifruit vines Psa carries no risks associated with human or animal health and does not affect plants other than kiwifruit vines Psa is believed to be spread by weather events namely wind and rain and plant material It is also believed to be spread by footwear vehicles and orchard tools In an orchard it can exist as

an epiphyte living on plant surfaces without causing high levels of infection andor

as an endophyte living within the vine having entered through natural plant openings or man made wounds resulting in severe infection

Growth of the bacteria outsideinside the vines can result in leaf spotting caneleader dieback and in extreme cases vine death accompanied by the production of exudates

Source Kiwifruit Vine Health KVH httpwwwkvhorgnzaboutpsa

The Claim

In New Zealand Psa was first officially reported on a kiwifruit orchard in Te Puke on 5 November 2010 at 430pm though there were known instances of it well before this official date Initially there was hope from the then Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry MAF and growers that the bacteria could be contained within the Bay of Plenty region however a domino effect saw the bacteria spread around the country multiplying quickly with an ability to devastate a crop in less than a season Given a downturn on other horticultural prices the hit to kiwifruit was particularly strong for growers because for many kiwifruit had become their mainstay New Zealand now suffers from two to three distinct isolates of Psa an Italian and an Asian strain

With what should have been strict border regulations imposed by Biosecurity NZ itself there was huge speculation as to how Psa entered New Zealand

In 2012 the Ministry of Primary Industries MPI commissioned an independent report into Psa by Sapere Research Group The report identified major shortcomings with Biosecurity NZs import requirements and border processes

The plaintiffs allege that Biosecurity NZ was negligent causing at least 885 million worth of losses to kiwifruit growers around the country and had no real respect to the threat of Psa to New Zealand In our view no concerted effort was made to assess the strategic threat that Psa posed to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry

In 2010 Zespri launched a 50 million emergency funding package for the immediate effects of Psa with 25 million being contributed by the Crown But with MPIs independent report conservatively estimating 885 million of losses 25 million is just a tiny fraction of the damage by Biosecurity NZs alleged negligence

Amidst claims that the kiwifruit industry has now recovered four years later growers and postharvest orchardists are still reeling from the effects It is not just direct financial losses growers lives have been destroyed as a result of Psa and the alleged negligence of Biosecurity NZ

Legal expert Professor Bill Hodge has spoken about the claim saying theyve got chapter and verse noting the claims legal documents suggest the source was wellknown and thus identifiable and preventable

For more information check out the Kiwifruit claim Questions and Answers