Jerry Prendergast: Over 100 more traps installed for Oriental fruit fly scare

The discovery of an Oriental fruit fly in Papatoetoe is reigniting messages of caution for New Zealanders returning from overseas. 

Biosecurity New Zealand says the fly could cause extensive economic damage to the horticulture industry if it were allowed to establish here. 

United Fresh New Zealand President Jerry Prendergast says prevention requires effort from the public. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Our fruit and veggie industry has been with a fruit
fly scare. On Friday, a single mail of the oriental
species was caught in a surveillance trap in Papa Toy Toy.
Since then, no further flies have been found, which is
good news for the seven billion dollar horticultural industry, but
could there be more to come? Joining me now as
United Fresh New Zealand President Jerry prendergask, Good.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Morning, term morning.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
What's the latest on the situation.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Well, you've got most of the horticulture industry holding their
brief at the moment because a single fruit fly, although
it doesn't sound much to the average person across New Zealand,
I can tell you is devastating and frightening for the
rest of the industry. And we're sitting waiting, watching and
we've got a lot of confidence in MPI that we
don't have another find that they are vigilant and they're

(01:03):
checking every trap and they have increased the traps. But
the concern for the whole of the industry is if
we have the fines or the fly has spread to
a greater distance. That is what is absolutely concerning to
all of the horticulture industry right now.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
What is the potential devastation if it was to get out.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Well, two things, you've got reputation from an exporting perspective,
and second of all, you've got crop a crop devastation.
So fruit fly is another pest, just like every grower
has to deal with multiple pests in their orchards or
in their crops. For fruit in particular, although it does
also attracted to things like tomatoes. In fact, there's three

(01:45):
hundred different products varieties of fruit and vegetables that it
is attracted to, but primarily fruit. And if it was
to get into our for example, our Kiwi fruit industry
which is nearly just under a three billion dollar industry now,
or our apple export industry which is around about a
billion dollars, both of those industries would not only have
problems with their crop production, so they would have take

(02:08):
different tax different approaches to their crop production that would
actually cost more money, that would actually add more top
time to the process, and would have quality issues. And
then on top of that is our reputation currently of course,
our reputation around the world for our exported fruit is
absolutely magnificent. Different countries that are accepting fruit out of

(02:32):
New Zealand understand our reputation for a clean, green environment
and pests like fruit fly. It is very gives them
a lot of confidence knowing fruits coming from New Zealand
without fruitfly.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
How wide an outbreak can we deal with?

Speaker 3 (02:49):
Look, that's a that's a big question to Look, there's
been twelve of these breaks so far in the last
period that I can recall, the last couple of decades
or even a decade, I think it has been. There's
been twelve of them. Mpi's got on top of every
one of those. It's frightening to think that this is
now the second one of the three years. I think
if I've got that correct, and what we can see

(03:13):
is there's a wee bit of a pattern there. So
the reality is that we need education for every person
in New Zealand to understand whatever you're bringing into this country,
you've got to be super careful. This is why at
the borders you've got great protection from our border security. Now,
whether that is imported product, whether that's container as a

(03:33):
product that isn't fresh fruit and vegetables which could have
fruit fly in it, or whether it's on an aeroplane
traveling into the country. Our border controls are very very good,
but we've all got to also take responsibility as individuals
to make sure we're really thinking about what we're bringing
into New Zealand at any stage, either commercially or non commercially.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Good stuff. Well, I fingers crossed and good luck with
everything that's Jerry Prendergast. He is the United Fresh and
New Zealand President.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
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