The biosecurity response to the find of a single male Oriental fruit fly in Birkdale on Auckland’s North Shore is making good progress with extra traps in place, stepped up checks and legal controls introduced.

Industry personnel from the kiwifruit industry are also taking part, helping protect our industry and the horticultural sector.

Special bins have been delivered for fruit and vegetable waste disposal, and a mobile laboratory to check fruit and vegetables is in place.

There were already over 60 Oriental fruit fly surveillance traps in the North Shore area, and nearly 700 traps aimed at other fruit fly species. Around 100 extra Oriental fruit fly traps are also now in place within a 1500-metre area of the original find.

Legal controls have been introduced to restrict the movement of fruit and vegetables around the location where the Oriental fruit fly was found to stop the spread of any others that may be out there. Information has been delivered to residential letterboxes about the two zones affected by restrictions and people can also find full information about what they need to do here.

Significant response updates will continue to be posted on the KVH website as they occur.