"New Zealand's multi-million dollar flower trade with America [US] is in jeopardy after the discovery of an apple moth in a shipment...
The US has... slapped a ban on all exports of New Zealand flowers and foliage. The light brown apple moth hitched a lift to California in a shipment of South Island flowers and could cost New Zealand's flower industry millions of dollars. ... on one shipment, on one crop... eggs... were found That has thrown the New Zealand floriculture industry into disarray with the US putting a ban on all New Zealand flower and green foliage exports. "It affects their horticulture crops and they have to spend a lot of money in their industry to eradicate it because it damages fruit," says Scott [Ed Scott of the New Zealand Flower Exporters Association]. Orchid... growers will feel the hit first. It's midway through the orchid season... MAF [Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry] say it's working with all organisations to try to lift the ban quickly. "We'll be putting in a more precise risk management programme that will have checks right back at grower production level, then at packhouse and then at export level," says Peter Johnston, MAF bio-security adviser. MAF hopes that will mean some indoor flower growers can be exporting again by mid-week. But for outdoor growers it could take months and wipe out the whole season's profits." URL : http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/2073834 *************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
