Mangoes imported into Tasmania during October and November 2017 are the most likely cause of Tasmania’s fruit fly incursion, Biosecurity Tasmania chief executive Lloyd Klump said at the Fruit Growers Tasmania conference last week.
Mangoes were isolated as the likely source through “circumstantial evidence”, after similar shipments of infested fruit were also found in South Australia and Western Australia.
“Right across the country we saw these mangoes shipped to areas where there were outbreaks,” Dr Klump said.
South Australian authorities were able to trace its infested fruit from that state’s outbreaks directly.
“We don’t have a direct trace, however we did find infested mangoes in a supermarket in Whitemark very soon after the response started,” Dr Klump said.
“That consignment was not the source, but there were previous consignments of mangoes from the same place,” he said.
Dr Klump also explained that Tasmania’s fruit fly detection pattern showed fruit flies to be a one-off incursion, rather than colonies that have been in here for years.
“We have fruit fly traps that have been there constantly,” he said.
“We haven’t been finding flies for decades. so clearly we haven’t had populations here for years.”
Tasmania’s fruit fly incursion and response fuelled much of the content during the first day of the conference.
Fruit Growers Tasmania and industry stakeholders agreed to a future course of action to guard against Queensland fruit fly, president Nic Hansen said.
This included making an application to Food Safety Australia and New Zealand to approve phytosanitary irradiation as a treatment for horticultural crops and asking the state government to formally request that FSANZ implement recommendations into labelling for phytosanitary irradiation.
“We ask the Tasmanian government to actively support this proposal to protect the state’s horticultural sector. This is to create a level playing field in relation to other biosecurity treatments,” Mr Hansen said.
The grower body also asked for a fruit fly expert and a horticultural liaison officer be appointed, and that more biosecurity staff are deployed on the ground.
“We need that additional expertise here at the state level. As we’ve seen throughout this incursion, liaison has been a vital link between industry and government,” Mr Hansen said.
“More biosecurity staff are required to ‘lift lids’ – that is visually check host commercial fruit and vegetables shipments coming into the state from mainland Australia.”
Johanna Baker-Dowdell
Johanna has more than 22 years experience as a journalist for newspapers, magazines and online publications.
Johanna has more than 22 years experience as a journalist for newspapers, magazines and online publications.
