Federated Farmers has joined in the chorus with Horticulture New Zealand and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in an appeal for the return or destruction of Buzzy branded strawberry growing kits, sold through the Warehouse.

1,362 Buzzy Strawberry Mini Grow Kits remain unaccounted for, and so far, according to a MAF spokesperson, only about 40 kits have been returned, in spite of massive publicity.

Dr. William Rolleston, Federated Farmers Vice President and Biosecurity spokesperson, says it is vital those with the kits should know how to to return, or safely dispose of them.

Dr Rolleston says the release of the kits in New Zealand is a serious breach of security that could put livelihoods at risk.

He says biosecurity underpins half of all export receipts New Zealand earns from trade and services and 'we genuinely need all Kiwis on the biosecurity First XV to keep it that way'.

Meanwhile MAF says it expects to know how the strawberry kits by-passed quarantine procedures by the end of the week.

The alarm was raised on the weekend after a MAF employee noticed the mini grow kits on sale and alerted MAF Response Manager Glen Neal.

Mr Neal said under normal circumstances such kits would undergo six months in quarantine.

MAF is using independent investigators to establish how the mini grow kits slipped though the net.

Mr Neal says there is little risk of the product importing a disease but the concern is that it mustn’t happen again.

And MAF is advising people who have a kit to wrap it in a bag and put it in the general rubbish.