Editorial: Kiwifruit antibiotic case a warning

There's a saying that desperate times call for desperate measures and nowhere is this more fitting than the kiwifruit industry.

The sector has taken a hammering as Psa has ruined crops and lives. But does this give affected growers the right to break the law?

This is the question after as many as 50 Te Puke growers admitted illegally injecting their vines with antibiotics to try to stop the spread of Psa.

Kiwifruit growers were earlier given permission to use the antibacterial spray KeyStrepto, which contains the antibiotic streptomycin, but only under strict rules.

These rules included that it must only be sprayed, and that it was applied only up to three times before December 1 (after December the kiwifruit vines begin to flower which could leave the spray's residue on the fruit).

One in 10 applied to use it at least once. All growers were asked to sign a declaration on whether they used it and whether they had misused it, and 1 per cent admitted to illegally injecting it.

Growers were told that if they were caught breaking the law through residue testing they could be treated more harshly than if they had admitted up front that they had broken the rules.

Possible punishments included fines of up to $150,000 for companies and imprisonment for up to two years for individuals.

Psa will cost our kiwifruit industry hundreds of jobs and ultimately up to $885 million and there has been concern about the huge mental health toll it is taking on growers and their families.

It is critical the industry- and indeed the region - eventually gets past this terrible disease.

There is hope with the new G3 variety, which has shown to be more tolerant than the Hort16A variety.

I do not for one moment claim to know or understand what affected growers have been going through.

It must be devastating to have one's livelihood wrecked or threatened, and on one level I can understand growers going to extreme lengths to try and protect their crops. But these growers were reckless to inject their vines.

They knowingly broke the law and risked this country's kiwifruit exporting reputation as a result.

Their efforts have all been for nothing.

All their affected kiwifruit has, thankfully, been destroyed.

The monitoring and handling of this situation has been good.

All orchards were tested and crops either cleared or condemned. This should give the public confidence in the organisation and management of the industry as it continues to face this crisis.

Some people will say the ministry should have prosecuted.

Others will argue officials were right to exercise discretion, made the right decision based on the facts in front of them, and that ultimately no real harm was done.

My view is the decision not to prosecute is borderline.

The law is the law and it is important that we obey it or faces consequences.

But these growers have already been punished enough by losing their fruit.

Fining them or throwing them in jail will not serve any extra purpose now.

This sorry saga should serve as a warning for everyone to stick to the rules in future.