Whole of Coromandel 'controlled area' as Psa spreads

The whole Coromandel region has now become a 'Controlled Area', following the spread of the vine-killer disease Psa to five more kiwifruit orchards in the Whangamata area over the past week.

.Four of the five Coromandel orchards were Hayward orchards, the green kiwifruit variety that had largely escaped the disease until this spring.

The newly-infected Coromandel orchards were part of the 50 North Island orchards that tested positive to Psa this week, including two in the Te Puke region; three in Tauranga East; 23 in Tauranga West; one in Opotiki; five in Coromandel; 13 in Katikati; one in Franklin; and two in Waikato.

The disease has now been found on 1751 kiwifruit orchards around the North Island.