Washing off aphids way to keep lettuce prices down

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

Aphids on lettuces won't hurt you - just wash them off, says the Vegetable Growers' Federation.

The fresh lettuce industry has been fighting the invasion of the aphid Nasonovia ribisnigri since it was first discovered in New Zealand a year ago.

The pest was now prevalent in all of the major growing regions, in indoor and outdoor growing systems, VegFed chief executive Peter Silcock said yesterday.

He reassured consumers that the aphids were a presentation issue, not a health one.

They could be washed off the lettuce and any stained or speckled leaves easily removed, making the garden plant safe to eat.

"By taking these simple steps, consumers can avoid a situation that could lead to huge increases in the cost of lettuce," said Mr Silcock.

He appealed to the public for patience while the industry looked for long-term solutions. "Head lettuces", New Zealand's most popular type, were the most affected.

Most of the aphids were on the inside of the heads, making it impossible to selectively harvest only heads that had few or no insects.

"If growers decide not to market lettuces with some aphid presence, prices will go through the roof, and that is not a good result for anyone," Mr Silcock said.

"Simple washing of the lettuce will prevent this."

Stuart Johnston of Progressive Enterprises said lettuce prices had shown only a "minor lift" for this time of the year, despite the aphid problem.

Meanwhile, researchers, growers, chemical and seed companies and VegFed were working on strategies to eliminate the pest.

The $26 million lettuce industry was largely domestic, but exports to Australia had been suspended since the aphids' appearance.