New Zealand approved new Psa treatment

The New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved a new antibiotic for plants that can be used to control the kiwifruit vine disease, Psa.

KASUMIN is used as a spray on crops such as kiwifruit, and contains the antibiotic kasugamycin, which has not previously been used in New Zealand.

ETEC Crop Solutions Limited applied to the EPA in May 2013 to be allowed to import KASUMIN from Japan.

The EPA’s expert Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Committee has approved the application, but imposed rules to protect people and the environment.

The rules include requiring all users to be ‘approved handlers’, which means they must be trained and certified to use such products safely.  The rules also restrict how much of the product can be applied, and require users to spray the product from land, not by air.