Govt urged to focus on hort
Horticulture NZ Barry O’Neil wants the incoming government to have a greater focus on horticulture.
The Plant & Food Research team that took on Psa-V disease and won have received a prize worth $500,000.
The team, led by Dr Bruce Campbell, were awarded the Prime Minister’s top science prize at an event at Parliament on Tuesday.
Plant & Food Research says the prize money will be invested in developing the next generation of science technologies to protect plants against biosecurity threats and to develop New Zealand as a hub for bioprotection technologies.
Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman congratulated the team and says he looks forward to seeing what they do next.
"When Psa was discovered at a Te Puke orchard in 2010, that could have meant the end of the kiwifruit industry," Chapman says.
"The Plant & Food Research team got their experts on the ground in the Bay of Plenty and the result was the new gold kiwifruit cultivar now sold around the world as Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit."
Forty-eight million trays of SunGold were sold last season, with an export value of $686 million - up 70% on the previous year and increasing by about 10 million trays a year.
"Plant & Food Research stood behind the kiwifruit industry in one of its darkest hours, when Psa was at its worst,” Chapman says.
“The only way forward for the kiwifruit industry was through new varieties that were more Psa tolerant and through new orchard husbandry, and Plant & Food were at the forefront in providing this support,”
“It is not too much to say that without their work, it would be a very different industry today.”
The red meat sector is welcoming the start of trade negotiations between New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Meat processor Alliance Group's cash-strapped farmer shareholders face a dilemma - either pour more money into the co-operative or risk losing 100% ownership and control.
Farmer-led charity, Meat the Need is calling for donations to enable it to supply more meals to families in need.
Weaker pricing and demand from China continue to impact New Zealand red meat export earnings.
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.