MPI defends cost of new biosecurity lab
The head of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) biosecurity operation, Stuart Anderson, has defended the cost and the need for a Plant Healht and Environment Laboratory (PHEL) being built in Auckland.
It says MPI and AsureQuality have had 85 staff performing various tasks such as monitoring of traps and fruit analysis. Last week a male Queensland fruit fly was found in Avondale, triggering a biosecurity reponse.
Door knocking in the main control zones is completed.
"We have had staff at key events today such as the Wesley Market. We also have teams of people providing information at supermarkets and other fruit and vegetable stores," MPI says.
Fruit fly surveillance and control activities to date include:
• Eighty traps have been set in fruit trees in Zone A – the area up to 200m out from the original fruit fly find. These traps are checked daily.
• A total of three hundred and five traps are set up in fruit trees in Zone B – the area up to 1500m from the original fruit fly find. These traps are checked every three days.
• Ripe fruit from trees in Zone A has been collected for testing for larvae. Testing on samples submitted from the Zone A fruit fly traps in the Controlled Area have shown no sign of further fruit flies or larvae. The Ministry continues a large field effort to ensure that if any of the pest insects are present, they will be detected.
• Language translation of radio advertisements and alert notices will be available shortly for various ethnic communities residing in the Controlled Area.
• Thirty exit signs are in place – these are to notify people leaving the Controlled Area about the restrictions. There are nine entry signs into the Controlled Area.
• One hundred and sixty six bins are place in locations around the Controlled Area to ensure no household has to travel more than approximately 200m to dispose of this waste. People are encouraged to use these bins responsibly – they are not for all household rubbish. Where people have in-sink waste disposals, the use of these is encouraged to get rid of fruit and vegetable waste.
• The fruit collection bin waste is disposed of by incineration or 'deep burial'. A GPS map of bin locations is currently available on the MPI website.
Full information about the Queensland fruit fly is on the MPI website at: www.mpi.govt.nz and follow the fruit fly button.
