The Ministry for Primary Industries says there is no biosecurity risk from fungus found on hardwood railway sleepers imported into New Zealand from Peru.
The Ministry for Primary Industries says there is no biosecurity risk from fungus found on hardwood railway sleepers imported into New Zealand from Peru.
Some 7000 of 100,000 sleepers imported in the past decade have been found in varying states of decay, many on bridges or in tunnels.
The ministry says the fungus, from the schizophyllum species, is not on the unwanted organisms register and poses no biosecurity risk.
KiwiRail says the problem was not picked up until recently because the fungus is hard to spot.
