increase font size
Potatoes NZ chief executive Chris Claridge.
The fight to wipe out a potato disease from New Zealand has been lost.
Biosecurity NZ and Potatoes NZ have ceased their joint eradication response to Potato mop-top virus (PMTV).
The industry says it will now be taking the lead on long-term management of the disease.
PMTV was confirmed in NZ in September 2018, initially concentrated in grower paddocks in Canterbury.
But a national survey has shown the virus is now NZ-wide, indicating that it has been in NZ for a long time.
“It became evident earlier during the response that this disease couldn’t be eradicated and that the best outcome for potato growers was industry management long term,” says Biosecurity NZ’s Sam Leske.
“Biosecurity NZ will continue to support industry in helping them develop the long term management plan, which will include non-regulatory controls and voluntary agreement.”
It’s the first time the two organisations have worked together on a biosecurity response since signing up to the Government Industry Agreement (GIA).
Potatoes NZ chief executive Chris Claridge says it was a successful end to the first joint response. The industry is developing a plan which will incorporate research from world experts, in line with best practice.
“A positive outcome to date is there are no significant losses to growers attributed to the disease,” Claridge said.
“This response is an example of how a good partnership between Government and industry works to eventually help industry to be in a position to mitigate impacts posed by biological incursions and to support decisionmaking for the future.”
Testing confirms H5 bird flu in a single northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa, says Dr Mary van Andel, the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Chief Veterinary Officer.
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is sometimes viewed as a dairy industry issue, but the reality is that the disease can have serious consequences for beef breeding herds as well.
Four years since it was first detected in New Zealand, researchers and growers now know much more about management of maize pest fall armyworm (FAW).
The apple sector is working with the Government to unlock access to two key markets that could bring millions in revenue for apple growers.
OPINION: Dairy farmers know better than anyone that change is constant.
An Auckland gelato shop and an established New Zealand ice cream maker have both been named Supreme Champions at the NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards 2026.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household grocery budgets, new figures show pork remains one of the most affordable fresh meat options for New Zealand families.
OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.
Farmers can spend less time on paperwork, thanks to a new data sharing agreement between DairyNZ’s DairyBase and LIC’s MINDA software.
Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.
Rural New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s recent package of rural healthcare initiatives.
