A biosecurity operation is underway, and extra field teams in the suburb of Birkdale, on Auckland’s North Shore, after discovering a single male Oriental fruit fly in a surveillance trap in a suburban backyard.
With this latest detection, Biosecurity New Zealand has moved quickly to look for others and eradicate them.
"This is the same species of fruit fly that we responded to in Papatoetoe recently, but it is too early to say whether the two finds are linked. Our lab will do further DNA analysis of the fly over the coming days,” said Biosecurity New Zealand Commissioner North Mike Inglis.
"We will be ramping up trapping and inspection, with daily checks in a 200-metre zone from the original find and checks every three days in a second zone out to 1500m. The capture of a single male does not mean we have an outbreak. However, while we do our checks for any other fruit flies, we need community help to prevent any possible spread.”
As a precautionary measure, Biosecurity New Zealand will put legal restrictions in place on the movement of fruit and vegetables out of the area where the fruit fly was found.
Instructions about these controls and the exact area affected will be issued soon after the completion of an initial investigation.
“In the meantime, we ask that people who live and work in the suburb not take any whole fresh fruit and vegetables out of your property. You may notice increased activity in the neighbourhood as we go about inspections and trapping.”
Field officers may ask to look at fruit trees on personal properties and will provide an official identification form and will only enter the property with permission.
In addition to the fieldwork, Biosecurity New Zealand has been working closely with international trading partners and Government Industry Agreement (GIA) partners in the horticultural industry to minimise the risk to New Zealand growers and exporters.
There have been 13 incursions of different fruit flies in Auckland and Northland since 1996, and all have been successfully eradicated by Biosecurity New Zealand, its horticulture partners, and local communities who have stepped up to help.
"Back in 2019, we responded to the detection of fruit flies in three separate suburbs over a period of several months, so this is not unusual. We traced and tracked in all three suburbs and continued until we were confident we had eliminated the pest."
Inglis said the latest find demonstrated the benefit and effectiveness of MPI’s lure-based fruit fly surveillance trapping network and the biosecurity system. This trapping network involves nearly 8,000 traps set nationwide, which are checked regularly.
"By setting traps for these pest insects, we are able to find them early, know exactly where the problem is, and respond quickly and effectively."
The fruit fly poses no human health risk, but there would be an economic cost to the horticulture industry if allowed to establish here.
Inglis added that Biosecurity New Zealand has among the strictest controls in the world for the importation of fruit and checks at the border. The most likely way that fruit flies can arrive in New Zealand is on fresh fruit and vegetables.
