Kiwifruit growers want the Government to admit the debilitating Psa outbreak has been a biosecurity failure.
More than 30% of all kiwifruit orchards are now infected with the disease and hundreds of kiwifruit growers gathered today in Te Puke to discuss responsibility for the outbreak.
Authorities have tried to control the kiwifruit vine-killing virus for more than a year and the response bill has reached $36 million, half of which will be paid for by taxpayers.
At today's meeting growers voted to ask the Government to declare the outbreak of the virus to be an adverse event, and they also want an inquiry into both the outbreak and New Zealand's biosecurity standards.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry told ONE News in a statement that an independent review of MAF's importing rules for kiwifruit pollen and other plant material has been commissioned.
A previous report said Psa could have come from imported pollen
or from people and machinery coming into the country.
Growers told ONE News they are still hurting.
"We've seen our orchard values fall by 50% and unsaleable," said
Katikati grower Ross Hart.
"We've seen the impact of it on all values, houses in town and everything because there's a flow-on effect."
One grower also told ONE News he wants to see an inquiry into the industry body Zespri but a representative of the company said some level of discontent is only natural.
"You've got a large industry with 2500 growers. You'll always have some people who are disappointed for their own reasons," Zespri director Ray Sharp told ONE News.
Primary Industries Minister David Carter says no changes will be made to the structure of the kiwifruit industry without significant grower support.
