THE State Government will introduce additional road blocks in the Limestone Coast over the school holiday period in a bid to protect South Australia from a fruit fly outbreak.
An extra seven random quarantine roadblocks have been added across the state for the 2019/20 period with the Limestone Coast and Victorian border among the hotspots targeted by government staff.
Primary Industries and Regional Development minister Tim Whetstone said the random roadblock season starts in spring with warmer temperatures, coinciding with an increase in fruit fly activity and travel.
“We recognise the increasing pressure on South Australia’s borders from interstate fruit fly incursions and as a result we have almost doubled the number of random roadblocks from the program held last year,” Mr Whetstone said.
“The government last year introduced a zero-tolerance approach for random roadblocks to deter motorists from bringing in prohibited fruit and vegetables and putting our $1.2b horticulture industry vulnerable to fruit fly at risk.
“The 2018-19 random roadblock campaign had an average non-compliance rate of almost 13pc but what we saw was a drop to under 8pc for the last four random roadblocks of the season. It is clear the zero-tolerance approach is working.”
Mr Whetstone reminded visitors to adhere to the state’s strict quarantine rules when entering South Australia.
“With the weather getting warmer, the risk from fruit flies increases so it is vital that visitors do not bring prohibited fruit and vegetables into South Australia,” Mr Whetstone said.
“It only takes one piece of infested fruit carried into South Australia to cause widespread devastation to our horticulture industries and we have seen the impact a fruit fly outbreak can have at Loxton and Lindsay Point.”
Almost 20,000 vehicles passed through random quarantine roadblocks in 2018-19 with one tonne of prohibited fruit seized and 494 motorists fined.
A further 267 people received formal warnings in the 2018-19 before the zero-tolerance policy was implemented.
The issue is being highlighted as Victorian school holidays start and with South Australian school holidays starting this weekend.
