The Green Party is urging the kiwifruit industry to abandon plans to begin spraying a powerful antibiotic on its vines later this week. 

The kiwifruit industry is expected to put the antibiotic, streptomycin, on its approved PSA spray list on September 1.

However, Green party food spokesperson, Sue Kedgley, is warning that streptomycin has the potential to build up in the environment and could have serious consequences for both trade access and human health.

“If residues of streptomycin were found in exported kiwifruit this could be devastating for our exports. The European Union doesn’t permit residues of antibiotics in imported fruit.

"Similarly if any traces or residues of the antibiotics were remaining, and bees take them back into the beehives and residues were left in the honey, this again could affect our honey exports.”

Ms Kedgley says antibiotics are becoming less effective because of their systematic overuse in industrial farming -- which leads to ever increasing resistance.   

She says the kiwifruit industry needs to investigate alternatives and says some countries, like Italy, are successfully controlling PSA with copper.

“So we’re saying why would we not be doing what they’re doing overseas, which is using copper based sprays as an alternative?”    

However, Otago University scientist Russell Poulter told Country 99TV last week that the Italian kiwifruit industry is likely to fall over within two to three seasons.

Further, he said the Bay of Plenty orchards are already swimming in copper.

Mr Poulter says streptomycin is one of the only drugs that successfully kills-off PSA-v, however, he believes injecting the drug may be more beneficial for growers.  

Meanwhile, Seeka says PSA-v cost its growers 300,000 trays of gold kiwifruit.

Despite this, its half yearly results showed Seeka still packed 24.6 million trays – up two million on the year before.

Seeka’s total revenue was $98 million with a net profit, after tax, of just under $2 million.

But the saga is taking its toll, and Seeka’s assets have already been written down $7.6 million.

Seeka Chief Executive Michael Franks warns PSA has created problems for the whole industry, and could end up having a really negative impact on the national economy.