The movement of fruit and vegetables in the Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe is under restrictions following the discovery of a single Oriental fruit fly in the area.
The legal controls were put in place by Biosecurity New Zealand after the male fly was discovered in a surveillance trap in a suburban backyard in Papatoetoe.
To date, no other flies have been found in the other 187 surveillance traps in the Papatoetoe/Māngere area, Biosecurity NZ said today in a media release.
“We need community help to make sure we successfully find and eradicate any further fruit flies that may be present in the area,” Biosecurity New Zealand Commissioner North Mike Inglis said.
Inglis yesterday said while the fruit fly poses no human health risk, there would be an economic cost to the horticulture industry if it were allowed to establish here.
Biosecurity NZ staff are laying more traps in the area and giving out information to households.
“There have been 12 previous fruit fly incursions in New Zealand, which we have successfully eradicated so we have a very strong and detailed operational plans to guide our work,” he said.
“The rules now in place prohibit moving fruit and vegetables out of a specified controlled area around where the fruit fly was found.”
The controlled area is made up of two zones:
Zone A
Zone A has a 200m perimeter with 198 properties.
No whole fresh fruit and vegetables – excluding leafy vegetables and soil-free root vegetables – can be moved outside Zone A.
Compost and green waste from gardens also cannot be moved out of this zone.
Residents in Zone A are asked to avoid composting fruit and vegetables. To dispose of fruit and vegetable waste, use a sink waste disposal unit if available, or bins provided by Biosecurity New Zealand. The bins will be delivered shortly, and residents have been advised of their location.
Zone B
Zone B covers a 1500m area and is made up of 5470 properties.
All fruit and vegetables grown within Zone B cannot be moved out of the controlled area.
No fruit and vegetables grown in Zone B can be moved out of the controlled area. Residents in Zone B are free to move commercially purchased fruit and vegetables, such as from a supermarket, out of the area. However, home-grown produce waste and garden waste must be disposed of in Biosecurity New Zealand bins.
A detailed map of the controlled area and descriptions of the boundaries and rules in place can be found here.
Inglis said the legal controls are “an important precaution” while an investigation is underway to determine whether other fruit flies are present in the area.
“Should there be any more flies out there, this will help prevent their spread out of the area,” he said.
“We are working closely with our Government Industry Agreement partners in the horticultural industry. We all appreciate this will be inconvenient for the many people living in and around the controlled area, but following these directions is a critical precaution to protect our horticultural industries, home gardens and our New Zealand way of life.
“It is likely the restrictions will be in place for at least two weeks.”
Signs will also be put in place notifying people of the restrictions and marking the controlled area boundaries.
To report suspected finds of fruit fly, call MPI’s Pest and Diseases Hotline on 0800 80 99 66.