increase font size
Response incident controller David Yard says there are hundreds of properties around New Zealand that have velvetleaf on them.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is cautioning farmers not to plant left-over seed from any of the six lines of fodder beet seed imported last year and known to be contaminated with velvetleaf.
MPI is working with industry players and regional councils to manage the incursion of the pest weed resulting from the importation of the contaminated seed.
Response incident controller David Yard says there are hundreds of properties around New Zealand that have velvetleaf on them and we don’t want any more.
"MPI has banned the importation of any of the affected lines, but we believe there are likely to be farmers out there who bought contaminated seed lines last year and could have left-over seed in their sheds.
"Our advice is quite simply - don’t plant it this year," Yard stresses. "While velvetleaf may not have seemed a significant problem last season, individual velvetleaf plants produce up to 17,000 seeds, so undetected plants that grew last season may result in a major infestation this season. If left unmanaged, those plants will be a significant farm and biosecurity issue."
The six contaminated seed lines MPI is warning farmers against using are:
Kyros DNK–16UB128
Bangor DNK–15UB079
Bangor DNK–16UB126
Bangor DNK- 16UB114
Feldherr DNK–16UB131
Troya DNK–16UB112
Velvetleaf is an unwanted organism and under the Biosecurity Act 1993 it is an offence to knowingly plant and grow it. Farmers and contractors need to understand that it is illegal to plant these lines that are known to contain velvetleaf seed.
Farmers who planted these fodder beet lines last season (not knowing they were contaminated) are also urged to check paddocks where they planted the seed.
"If velvetleaf plants are found, our advice, if they are not yet flowering, is to note and mark the location (for checking in future years), pull them out immediately and dispose of by deep burial – e.g. in the farm offal pit,” Yard says.
"If you find plants that are flowering or seeding, mark the location and then tie a large bag over the flower head and bend the plant in half (so if any seeds are present they can be captured). Again, pull up the plant and safely dispose of it.”
MPI recommends any new detections of velvetleaf (that have not already been reported to MPI) are phoned through to the MPI hotline 0800 80 99 66. A technical expert will be able to provide advice on future management.
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.
The apple sector is working with the Government to unlock access to two key markets that could bring millions in revenue for apple growers.
A Palmerston North shearer has been sentenced to six months' community detention and 12 months' supervision after being found to have physically abused three lambs while shearing them.
OPINION: A simpler, clearer, more effective Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.
The country's second largest milk processor is warning against 'complacency' during a review of competition regulations in the dairy sector.
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.
Interest in agritech and production animal systems has prompted Massey University's School of Agriculture and the Environment to new majors to its popular animal science degree.
Ballance Agrinutrients chief executive Kelvin Wickham says despite a tough year, he is pleased the business has returned to profit.
OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…
