Biosecurity NZ boosts search for pest insect
Minister of Biosecurity Damien O’Connor has put the cost of a single fruitfly at ‘‘about $1 million’’, and says it could be weeks before the saga wraps up.
On February 14, Devonport on Auckland’s North Shore was put into a fruit and vegetable lockdown after the discovery of a male Queensland fruitfly.
Since then, the Ministry for Primary Industries has allocated 60 staff to help with the search and the setting of traps.
O’Connor yesterday said it was important they took as many precautions as possible because of the effects a breeding population could have on exports. ‘‘We need to be able to reassure our trading partners we don’t have fruit flies here,’’ O’Connor said.
‘‘We’ll be on the ground for weeks here until we can confidently establish we don’t have any more.’’
There had been no impact on any exports at this point, he said.
Biosecurity NZ has set up legal controls over the movement of fruit and vegetables in and out of the area. MPI Response spokesperson Dr Catherine Duthie said they were confident in their control plan. ‘‘[The plan] sets up specifications for the detection of a Queensland fruitfly on appropriate distances for setting traps and administering controls. This is designed to prevent any spread of fruitfly, should there be an incursion in the area.’’
No new flies or evidence of wider breeding had been found, MPI said yesterday.
Crews are also checking fruit trees, vegetable gardens and compost facilities for any traces of the fly. The traps use pheromones to attract male fruit flies, who then enter a small plastic container and are killed by insecticide.
The traps being set are part of a network of 7600 traps across the country, which use pheromones to lure the flies in.