An outbreak of fruit fly has been detected in Kilburn, northern Adelaide, South Australia, which had previously been considered the only mainland state to be fruit fly free.
The outbreak was confirmed after a fertile female Mediterranean fruit fly was caught in a trap. From this detection site, a 1.5km radius quarantine area has been established.
Officials say an eradication programme has been launched, which is expected to last for the next 10-12 weeks.
Residents of the affected zone must not remove fresh fruit, vegetables or garden waste from their properties during the program.
'We don't want them to dispose of any fruit and vegetables into their compost heaps, we don't want them to take backyard fruit or veg out of the area, we really want them to either consume it on site, cook it up or they can put it in their household waste bin,' Geoff Raven of Biosecurity South Australia told the ABC.
The state’s fruit and vegetable industry is worth $675m. Fortunately for the region’s growers, the fruit fly was detected in a metropolitan area well outside of the Riverland Pest Free Area, which will therefore have no impact on production and exports.
