Officials in Australia have revealed that two Queensland fruit flies have been trapped in Irymple near Mildura, both of which are believed to have been brought into the area by a traveller ignoring fruit disposal instructions.
The discovery has led to widespread monitoring across the Sunraysia region, but there is no evidence of localised breeding, ABC News reported.
'I want to emphasise that this is a detection, not an outbreak,' said Bill Ashcroft from the Department of Primary Industries. 'Outbreak has some fairly far-reaching implications in terms of international trade – this is a detection of two flies in the Irymple area and we are acting strongly to see if we can find any more.
'We haven't to this point, which is very encouraging,' he added.
An outbreak of fruit fly in Sunraysia would potentially lead to the loss of the region's pest-free status and hit trade with key export markets, ABC News said.
