Northcote fruit fly operations have ended and restrictions on the movement of fruit and vegetables on Auckland's North Shore have been lifted.

The move signals the end of an almost year-long operation, including a massive effort by the local community, triggered by the discovery of a Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) in a surveillance trap in the area last February.

It's now been 6 months since a fly was last trapped in the area, and this, along with an intensive baiting programme throughout the spring and the inspection of hundreds of kilos of fruit without a find, has given confidence there is currently no breeding population of the QFF in Northcote.

Nationwide routine surveillance will continue – there are 7,800 fruit fly traps spread across the country and more than 4,600 of these in the Auckland area. These traps are set for three exotic fruit fly species of concern: the QFF, Mediterranean Fruit Fly and Oriental Fruit Fly.

The financial impact of a fruit fly incursion to New Zealand’s billion-dollar horticulture industry is something we simply cannot afford – the kiwifruit industry alone could be impacted by up to $430 million. The estimated $18 million investment put into this robust and successful response is justified and confirms the commitment Government Industry Agreement (GIA) partners, such as KVH, have to protecting growers from such serious threats.

Read the full announcement from Biosecurity New Zealand here, and read the statement in support from GIA response partners on the KVH website here.