Fun Fact

In the last Bulletin we mentioned great progress made by South Australians in fruit fly eradication efforts.

Since then, we’ve also found some interesting new facts on ‘illegal fruit’ movement in the state. According to local news, more than 200 motorists were caught crossing from Victoria carrying more than 300 kilograms of illegal fruit and vegetables into the Riverland region over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

From 24 December to 3 January, 230 vehicles were reported by biosecurity officials at the Yamba Quarantine Station, with 326 kilograms of fruit seized!

We agree with the local Minister for Primary Industries who said these breaches were bitterly disappointing given eradication efforts across the state. As we were reminded during the recent fruit fly responses in Auckland – which many of our kiwifruit industry colleagues took part in – it’s imperative in a response that everyone knows how they can contribute and wants to. That way, together, we can limit impacts and continue to have successful response outcomes.