New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has defended itself against claims it was liable for the Psa virus outbreak that has crippled the country’s kiwifruit industry since it was discovered in 2010.
Earlier today (29 September), an alliance of kiwifruit growers signalled their intention to file the 'Kiwifruit Claim' with the High Court in Wellington, seeking up to NZ$885m in compensation for the outbreak, according to media reports.
Fairfax Media suggests the claim already has the support of 10 per cent of the kiwifruit industry’s growers, who are accusing Biosecurity NZ, a division of MPI, of negligence.
In a prepared statement, MPI hit back at the claims, suggesting it had no reason to believe it had acted inappropriately.
“We are not aware of the Crown being held legally liable for this type of biosecurity breach before,' MPI said.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key through his support behind MPI’s assertion.
“The Government is confident of its position and handled things appropriately, but in the end if people feel the Government is to blame then they're free to take legal action,” Key told 3News.
The participating growers have drawn the claim figure from a report by Lincoln University, which found Psa could cost the industry NZ$885m.A spokesman for the Kiwifruit Claim said that should all growers joi the claim, the figure is unlikely to be lower than NZ$885m.
“There is no doubt in our minds that Biosecurity NZ was negligent in how it was protecting New Zealand from Psa and other risks from as far back as 2004,' said John Cameron, the grower chairing the Kiwifruit Claim. 'Negligence by Biosecurity NZ is a key finding of an independent report into the outbreak by international consultants Sapere, commissioned by the Ministry of Primary Industries.”
Grower representative body New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) said it is aware of the claim and will review a number of key issues before making an assessment or a formal statement. Similarly, single-desk marketer Zespri also claims to know about the class action suit, but said it has not received any information about this case from the growers involved. 'We would like to study the details before drawing any conclusions,' Zespri said in a statement.
