The Kiwifruit Claim will launch a five-week information campaign next month to inform kiwifruit growers of the 9 October deadline to sign up to its efforts to seek compensation for the Crown’s negligence in allowing Psa-v into New Zealand.
The information campaign will involve direct mail, billboards in prime kiwifruit country, plaintiffs’ meeting in Te Puke, Opotiki and Northland, and the claim’s website at www.TheKiwifruitClaim.org.
Last month, the High Court at Wellington ordered that the claim is to proceed, approving the terms of the funding, and setting Friday 9 October as the absolute final deadline for growers to sign up.
A spokesman for The Kiwifruit Claim, Matthew Hooton, said it was totally up to growers whether or not to become part of the claim.
"So far, 30% of gold growers and over 10% of green growers have joined The Kiwifruit Claim. They’re all claiming loss as a result of Psa-v. Types of loss for growers to recover include loss of income, drop in orchard value, increased spraying costs, new variety licences, higher bank fees, and costs of re-grafting. It’s not limited to this, but these are good examples for growers to consider when thinking about signing up to the Claim," he said.
Mr Hooton said it was important growers left plenty of time to properly consider the matter.
Mr Hooton stressed that if growers did decide to sign up, their personal liability was limited to the initial one-off fee.
