A phytosanitary protocol for the entry of New Zealand apples into China has been signed in Wellington, following concerns about pests including fire blight.

A New Zealand's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) release said the new agreement provided greater certainty to traders and was the result of negotiations that began in 2009.

New Zealand has supplied apples to China during the Northern Hemisphere spring for many years, but in 2008 Chinese authorities sought quarantine assurance.

The MAF said the protocol included joint investigations if a quarantine pest was found, instead of the immediate shut-down of imports which would be a significant risk for traders.

It is expected the new protocol will support increased volumes in the coming years.

New Zealand Orchards that send apples to China will need to be registered with the MAF before the export season in March.

In other New Zealand, Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) has created a new Priority Zone in Katikati after a Psa-V positive result was found in an orchard in the area. KVH is still carrying out a verification process of the results and will release more information next week.

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