The move is a first for New Zealand, effectively enabling the industry to have the insurance cover of a biological control agent should it be needed rather than having to gain approval after a beetle incursion.
The authority has approved the use of the samurai wasp as a predator to the beetle if an outbreak occurs.
Its approval came after an application from the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Council, with the agency determining the beetle represents one of the country’s greatest biosecurity risks.
Horsepower for the application came from across the horticultural and crop sectors with the council representing pip fruit, kiwifruit, vegetable, tomato, avocado and grape growers.
Pipfruit NZ chief executive and stink bug council chairman Alan Pollard said the move was a national first, representing a pre-emptive strike against a bug no-one wants.
“The fact is there are limited options for controlling these bugs.
“The only sprays that have any effect are older organophosphate sprays, which are very harsh and we are moving away from such sprays.”
The authority noted the widespread use of agrochemicals to control the bug would adversely affect sustainable practices and export market access.
Pollard said the wasp will not provide 100% eradication but is estimated to be 70-80% effective.
The council estimates a stink bug incursion could cost $1.8 billion to $3.6b worth of GDP.
Horticultural export value could be almost wiped in half with losses of $2b to $4.2b.
Significant increases in tourist numbers and import volumes have pushed stink bug alerts into the red, with the Ministry for Primary Industries doing major work around ports and cruise ship passenger terminals in particular over recent years.
Tauranga, with its proximity to key kiwifruit growing areas, has been identified as a particularly high risk area with more than 160,000 people visiting last cruise season.
Italian kiwifruit growers in that country’s northern Bologna region are battling to remain viable after stink bug incursions there.
The bug has forced growers to encase entire orchards in fine netting then spray out the bugs.
“The problem is it can move very far relatively fast.
“It is not only a horticultural problem either, it is also an urban issue.
“When the weather turns cold the bugs will head into the warmest spot, often houses.
“There have been infestations of 20,000-30,000 a house in the United States,” Pollard said.
The approval allows the wasp to be bought in only if a bug infestation is confirmed so the horticultural industry will be looking for labs around the world to raise sufficient numbers of the wasp to deploy if an outbreak occurs.
Authority senior adviser Clark Ehlers said importing the wasp, the logistics of acquiring it and its quarantine are a separate process to having authority approval and up to the applicant to pursue when required.
The pre-emptive approval is something of a global first and likely to attract attention from other jurisdictions grappling with biosecurity issues and resilient pests.
“Biocontrol is a popular area for controlling invasive weed species.
“There are definitely some other insect controls in the pipeline. If and when we get application we have to publicly notify the application.”
He expects there might be another insect biocontrol application before the year’s end.
Sixty five of the 69 submissions on the application were in favour of the wasp’s importation.
“The EPA takes into account all submissions in its process and essentially the EPA needs to weigh up the benefits of the application against the risk or costs of it.”
