Another Fly in the Biosecurity Ointment

Almost a year after fruit fly were found in Grey Lynn, confirmation of Tau Fly in South Auckland shows how porous our biosecurity is.

“Manurewa, like Grey Lynn, are not the epicentres of New Zealand horticulture so suspicion falls on fruit and vegetable eluding airport biosecurity controls,” says New Zealand First Leader and Member of Parliament for Northland Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“How many incursions do we have to have before the government realises that speedy tourism processing only leaves our horticulturalists repenting at leisure.

“This National government is not putting enough money and resources in to make New Zealand bugtight. We’ve had two wake-up calls in Auckland within a year so how long before our luck disastrously runs out?

“The government must X-ray all incoming hand-held luggage and while we’re at it, why don’t we refuse entry to those people who wilfully conceal risk items. We’ve got to wake up because we’ve got billions of export dollars on the line here.

“Instead of border security we’ve ended up with border insecurity,” says Mr Peters.

ENDS

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