According to Chile's Kiwi Committee, the new regulations issued by the Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG), corresponding to law No. 6780 of 19 November 2012, establish an area of 5 km around a kiwi plantation identified as Psa-positive.
Under these new regulations, all plantations within range of Psa-positive areas, even if not infected, must take prophylactic and preventive measures, including the use of wheel disinfection facilities for vehicles and footbaths for people entering the orchards, as well as hand washing and sterilisation of all tools used.
Many of these actions had already been previously recommended by the Kiwi Committee in the documents: "Management Plan Proposal for Psa-positive orchards" and in the "Psa Prevention and Containment Manual."
According to Grisel Monje, Adviser at the Kiwi Committee, in the many visits to orchards and the frequent communication which the committee maintains with producing and exporting firms, it has been detected that many properties are already enforcing these measures, even before the SAG 6780 regulations were in place. "This demonstrates the industry's commitment regarding this severe illness and that everyone is working together to reduce the negative effects that Psa may cause to the Chilean kiwi sector," she stressed.
The new regulations also establish the actions to be taken with infected trees in Psa-positive orchards, including pulling trees up from the root, in the case of the gold varieties, and the alternative of pruning for the green varieties.
It also establishes actions to be taken with trees within range of Psa-positive areas, identified by either laboratory analysis or secondary type symptoms.
SAG pointed out that all trees within range of infected ones will have to be pulled up. This has been put into question by the great majority of players within the industry, including advisers, researchers and producers, who have expressed their opposition to the health authorities. At the moment the topic is in the agenda for ASOEX, Fedefruta, CDK and SAG.
As Monje explains, there is a wish to reach agreements soon for the enforcement of technically-justified measures considering the current uncertainty that the country is suffering regarding the most adequate ways to tackle this plague. "There is still much to clarify and investigate; we think that it is essential to be cautious when it comes to establishing compulsory measures, considering that official controls are focused on prevention and containment of the disease and not on its eradication, which is considered unfeasible," she said.
Finally, CDK's adviser made a call on producers for them to comply with what SAG has established. "So far, they have always been keen to collaborate with the recommendations given and we hope this to continue," she concluded.
Source: SimFRUIT / CDK
