Members of the vehicle logistics, compliance and shipping trades will meet with government officials tomorrow as the number of vessels found to carry brown marmorated stink bugs hits four.
Carriers Tokyo Car, Glovis Caravel and Courageous Ace and Sepang Express have all been found to carry the bugs, which have the potential to decimate the agriculture industry.
The four ships are carrying a range of new and used cars and heavy machinery. Equipment is not available in New Zealand to fumigate ships of this size.
Brown marmorated stink bug is an agricultural pest found in Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea. It has aggressively invaded the United States and could successfully establish in New Zealand.
The bug is a voracious feeder. Almost any crop can be at risk, including citrus, apples, stonefruits, pears, berries, grapes, asparagus, soybeans, corn, honeysuckle, maple, butterfly bush, cypress, hibiscus and roses. The bug severely disfigures fruits and renders them unmarketable, resulting in control costs and production impacts.
In winter, the bugs seek warm sheltered areas that results in adults gathering in high numbers on outer surfaces of homes and indoors. When disturbed or threatened, they release a pungent odour that is a nuisance to people in residential areas.
They are known to contaminate food, stain walls and furnishings and therefore could have significant social impact. However, they pose no direct human or animal health risks
