21/07/2026
As a company relying on beneficial insects to control crop pests it is very concerning the Government wants to change policies which make it significantly easier for pests to reach our shores.
For blueberries NZ local production can already achieve harvesting for approximately 11 months of the year. Admittedly for a few of those months the harvests are currently a bit small.
The countries who would be able to send berries to New Zealand have pests and viruses that would be devastating if they reached our shores
BSI expert confirms MPI import standard may break biosecurity
Experts tell us that imported blueberries are "very likely" to bring in new pests and plant diseases, under the weakened Import Health Standard proposed by the Ministry of Primary Industries.
A report by the Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI), the nation’s leading experts on pests and diseases, says there are “significant biosecurity concerns associated with the proposed Import Health Standard (IHS) for fresh blueberry imports into New Zealand”.
It is particularly concerned that the proposed rules will allow the introduction of Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing drosophila), Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly), Anastrepha fraterculus (South American fruit fly) and Lobesia botrana (European grapevine moth) into New Zealand.
These pests are not specific to blueberries, so would also damage production and export market access permissions for other local fruit industries.
The BSI report concludes that the proposed phytosanitary measures do not provide sufficient confidence that high-consequence pests and pathogens will be reduced to an acceptable level. In particular, concerns were raised regarding:
• limited evidence demonstrating the efficacy of several proposed phytosanitary measures;
• reliance on visual inspection and consignment sampling for pests and pathogens that may be microscopic, latent or otherwise difficult to detect;
• a systems approach that places insufficient emphasis on mandatory pre-harvest surveillance, documented pest monitoring, and production-level disease management for organisms known to evade post-harvest inspection; and,
• insufficient safeguarding measures for high-risk organisms that are widespread in exporting countries but absent from New Zealand.
New Zealand’s horticultural and primary production sectors are highly dependent on strong biosecurity protections. Establishment of unwanted pests would create substantial economic, environmental, and trade risks.
Blueberries New Zealand is calling on MPI to strengthen the proposed Import Health Standard before it is finalised by:
• adopting a more precautionary, evidence-based approach to high-impact quarantine pests;
• strengthening systems approach requirements in exporting countries;
• requiring documented surveillance and integrated pest management programmes;
• improving transparency throughout the consultation process; and
• ensuring that stakeholder scientific evidence is fully considered before the Import Health Standard is finalised.
Blueberries New Zealand understands that the import standard has been developed at the request of the USA. It will allow fresh blueberry imports from Peru, Mexico, Chile, Morocco, and the United States.
