Queensland Fruit Fly 18.02.15

A single male Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) has been found in a MPI trap in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn on Monday 16 February and was identified in a MPI laboratory in the afternoon on Tuesday 17 February.

• Click here to read the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) media release.
• Click here to read KVH’s fact sheet about Queensland Fruit Fly
  

MPI has placed legal controls on the movement of fruit and some vegetables outside of a defined circular area which extends 1.5km from where the fly was trapped in Grey Lynn. The Controlled Area takes in parts of Grey Lynn, Western Springs, Mt Albert, Ponsonby and Kingsland.

• Click here to view more information on MPI's website including a map of the Controlled Area and movment control rules.

Whole fresh fruit and vegetables (except for leafy vegetables and root vegetables) cannot be moved outside of the Controlled Area.

The 1.5 kilometre Controlled Area Notice does not encompass any orchards or postharvest facilities.

To date only the one male insect has been found. This does not mean that there is a breeding population of Queensland fruit fly in New Zealand. This does not represent an incursion or outbreak of the fruit flies.

Starting today, and continuing over the next three days, properties within a 200m radius of the find will be visited by MPI, fruit trees will be examined and fruit will be collected for sampling.

Details of additional traps to be placed in the Controlled Area will be shared with industry once confirmed by MPI.

This response will likely continue for at least 14 days. After 14 days, and if no further evidence of fruit fly is found, we expect the response to conclude around Wednesday 4 March 2015.

The response, as it stands, does not impact on harvest or the 20105 shipping schedule.

KVH fully supports the response actions being taken by MPI as a result of the find.

We ask for the full cooperation of the public and businesses to comply with the containment rules established by MPI and assist wherever they can.

Market access
Relevant New Zealand offshore posts have been notified by MPI of the QFF find.

There are currently no kiwifruit movements/exports happening at the moment.

As only a single male fruit fly has been found, we don’t expect any market reaction.

Industry response
KVH and Pipfruit NZ are part of the response governance group and KVH have offered staff to the response.

No funding from industry will be required as cost-sharing for responses does not commence until 2017.

Industry concerns

• Fruit fly is the kiwifruit industry’s ‘most unwanted’ pest and has the potential to have huge impacts on the kiwifruit industry.
• QFF has been spreading in Australia and all of the Eastern Seaboard must be considered at risk.
• There is a clear and present risk to NZ’s commercial and backyard production of fruit and vegetables from just across the Tasman.
• This is the third fruit fly detection in the past 13 months – the costs of responses and the critical risks to our industry are unacceptably high.
• History shows that the first four months of the year are the period of most risk (January to April).
• KVH believe MPI need to put in place robust measures that better manage the escalating QFF risk from Australia, including the introduction of 100% X-ray screening of passengers from Australia during this high-risk period. KVH will raise this with Minister Guy and MPI.