A devastating pig disease which broke out in the North Island in 2003 and crossed to the South Island in 2006 is still spreading, farmers say.

A popular new pet is all the rage in Britain, but it comes with a warning.

The PSA bacteria is spreading through the nation's kiwifruit crops with the latest confirmed infections found on orchards in ...

Federated Farmers want a ban on pollen imports and an end to artificial pollination of kiwifruit after Psa was found in pollen samples.

Samples of kiwifruit pollen collected from the Bay of Plenty and South Auckland over the past two years contain the bacteria that cause vine canker.

The Government has announced a $50 million plan to fight the kiwifruit vine bacteria PSA and expects total losses from infection of $75 million over the next two years.

The PSA disease has spread to kiwifruit orchards in the South Island and eradication is looking unlikely, Biosecurity Minister David Carter says.

The Kiwifruit Industry Advisory Council has put together a grower support package which it will propose to Biosecurity Minister David Carter and other parties tomorrow.

Biosecurity Minister David Carter says hopes of eradicating the Psa disease are fading, with the number of infected orchards climbing.

The kiwifruit crisis in the Bay of Plenty is reaching new heights, with the number of stricken Te Puke orchards today doubling to eight. Another 82 are under investigation.

A fourth orchard in Te Puke has been confirmed with the kiwifruit vine-killing disease PSA. MAF is currently investigating 82 orchards in total.

It was just another day at Zespri, until the phone rang and the jaw-dropping news came through.