Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Fruit fly investigation nears end 17 April 2014

Fruit fly investigation nears end


17 April 2014 - Provided no further Queensland fruit flies are found in Whangarei, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) looks set to announce an end to its response in the area on Easter Sunday morning.

The Ministry has been in active response since the detection of a Queensland fruit fly in a surveillance trap in the suburb of Parihaka on April 1.

The Queensland fruit fly is a significant pest of many horticultural crops and home gardens.

Within hours of identification, personnel were in the field setting up an extensive network of traps to painstakingly search for any signs of a fruit fly population in the area.

In addition, residents within a circular Controlled Area extending out 1.5km from the location of the find were asked not to move any whole fruit or certain vegetables out of the area. This was in case further flies were present, and designed to prevent spread of the pest out of the area.

MPI Chief Operating Officer Andrew Coleman says all MPI’s field work (the trapping, checking of fallen fruit and home orchards and the Controlled Area) are set out in an internationally-accepted Response Standard. This Standard requires that the response traps and movement controls on produce must be in place for a full 14 days with no fruit fly detections.

“We remain on alert for the possibility that there could be a last-minute detection of further flies and the response team will swing into action, should this be the case.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“However, we hope to be able to publicly notify the community on Sunday morning (20 April) that we have had the all-clear and the Controlled Area Notice is revoked and people can go about their business as usual.”

Mr Coleman says the Ministry is currently cautiously optimistic that the trapped fly was a single detection. There have been four previous Queensland fruit fly trap detections in New Zealand and in all cases no breeding population of the flies was found.

He says the community support for the restrictions on produce movement has been heartening, particularly given that almost the same area of Whangarei was subjected to similar controls when a Queensland fruit fly was found there in January this year.

"We do not know how these two flies entered New Zealand, but the Ministry is carrying out investigations into possible entry routes.”

Full information on the Queensland fruit fly is at: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/queensland-fruit-fly


17 April 2014 - Provided no further Queensland fruit flies are found in Whangarei, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) looks set to announce an end to its response in the area on Easter Sunday morning.


The Ministry has been in active response since the detection of a Queensland fruit fly in a surveillance trap in the suburb of Parihaka on April 1.

The Queensland fruit fly is a significant pest of many horticultural crops and home gardens.

Within hours of identification, personnel were in the field setting up an extensive network of traps to painstakingly search for any signs of a fruit fly population in the area.

In addition, residents within a circular Controlled Area extending out 1.5km from the location of the find were asked not to move any whole fruit or certain vegetables out of the area. This was in case further flies were present, and designed to prevent spread of the pest out of the area.

MPI Chief Operating Officer Andrew Coleman says all MPI’s field work (the trapping, checking of fallen fruit and home orchards and the Controlled Area) are set out in an internationally-accepted Response Standard. This Standard requires that the response traps and movement controls on produce must be in place for a full 14 days with no fruit fly detections.

“We remain on alert for the possibility that there could be a last-minute detection of further flies and the response team will swing into action, should this be the case.

“However, we hope to be able to publicly notify the community on Sunday morning (20 April) that we have had the all-clear and the Controlled Area Notice is revoked and people can go about their business as usual.”

Mr Coleman says the Ministry is currently cautiously optimistic that the trapped fly was a single detection. There have been four previous Queensland fruit fly trap detections in New Zealand and in all cases no breeding population of the flies was found.

He says the community support for the restrictions on produce movement has been heartening, particularly given that almost the same area of Whangarei was subjected to similar controls when a Queensland fruit fly was found there in January this year.

"We do not know how these two flies entered New Zealand, but the Ministry is carrying out investigations into possible entry routes.”

Full information on the Queensland fruit fly is at: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/queensland-fruit-fly

Ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.