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Our fruit and veggie industry has been with a fruit fly scare. On Friday, a single mail of the oriental species was caught in a surveillance trap in Papa Toy Toy. Since then, no further flies have been found, which is good news for the seven billion dollar horticultural industry, but could there be more to come? Joining me now as United Fresh New Zealand President Jerry prendergask, Good.

Our fruit and veggie industry has been with a fruit fly scare. On Friday, a single mail of the oriental species was caught in a surveillance trap in Papa Toy Toy. Since then, no further flies have been found, which is good news for the seven billion dollar horticultural industry, but could there be more to come? Joining me now as United Fresh New Zealand President Jerry prendergask, Good.

Morning, term morning.

Morning, term morning.

What's the latest on the situation.

What's the latest on the situation.

Well, you've got most of the horticulture industry holding their brief at the moment because a single fruit fly, although it doesn't sound much to the average person across New Zealand, I can tell you is devastating and frightening for the rest of the industry. And we're sitting waiting, watching and we've got a lot of confidence in MPI that we don't have another find that they are vigilant and they're checking every trap and they have increased the traps. But the concern for the whole of the industry is if we have the fines or the fly has spread to a greater distance. That is what is absolutely concerning to all of the horticulture industry right now.

Well, you've got most of the horticulture industry holding their brief at the moment because a single fruit fly, although it doesn't sound much to the average person across New Zealand, I can tell you is devastating and frightening for the rest of the industry. And we're sitting waiting, watching and we've got a lot of confidence in MPI that we don't have another find that they are vigilant and they're checking every trap and they have increased the traps. But the concern for the whole of the industry is if we have the fines or the fly has spread to a greater distance. That is what is absolutely concerning to all of the horticulture industry right now.

What is the potential devastation if it was to get out.

What is the potential devastation if it was to get out.

Well, two things, you've got reputation from an exporting perspective, and second of all, you've got crop a crop devastation. So fruit fly is another pest, just like every grower has to deal with multiple pests in their orchards or in their crops. For fruit in particular, although it does also attracted to things like tomatoes. In fact, there's three hundred different products varieties of fruit and vegetables that it is attracted to, but primarily fruit. And if it was to get into our for example, our Kiwi fruit industry which is nearly just under a three billion dollar industry now, or our apple export industry which is around about a billion dollars, both of those industries would not only have problems with their crop production, so they would have take different tax different approaches to their crop production that would actually cost more money, that would actually add more top time to the process, and would have quality issues. And then on top of that is our reputation currently of course, our reputation around the world for our exported fruit is absolutely magnificent. Different countries that are accepting fruit out of New Zealand understand our reputation for a clean, green environment and pests like fruit fly. It is very gives them a lot of confidence knowing fruits coming from New Zealand without fruitfly.

Well, two things, you've got reputation from an exporting perspective, and second of all, you've got crop a crop devastation. So fruit fly is another pest, just like every grower has to deal with multiple pests in their orchards or in their crops. For fruit in particular, although it does also attracted to things like tomatoes. In fact, there's three hundred different products varieties of fruit and vegetables that it is attracted to, but primarily fruit. And if it was to get into our for example, our Kiwi fruit industry which is nearly just under a three billion dollar industry now, or our apple export industry which is around about a billion dollars, both of those industries would not only have problems with their crop production, so they would have take different tax different approaches to their crop production that would actually cost more money, that would actually add more top time to the process, and would have quality issues. And then on top of that is our reputation currently of course, our reputation around the world for our exported fruit is absolutely magnificent. Different countries that are accepting fruit out of New Zealand understand our reputation for a clean, green environment and pests like fruit fly. It is very gives them a lot of confidence knowing fruits coming from New Zealand without fruitfly.

How wide an outbreak can we deal with?

How wide an outbreak can we deal with?

Look, that's a that's a big question to Look, there's been twelve of these breaks so far in the last period that I can recall, the last couple of decades or even a decade, I think it has been. There's been twelve of them. Mpi's got on top of every one of those. It's frightening to think that this is now the second one of the three years. I think if I've got that correct, and what we can see is there's a wee bit of a pattern there. So the reality is that we need education for every person in New Zealand to understand whatever you're bringing into this country, you've got to be super careful. This is why at the borders you've got great protection from our border security. Now, whether that is imported product, whether that's container as a product that isn't fresh fruit and vegetables which could have fruit fly in it, or whether it's on an aeroplane traveling into the country. Our border controls are very very good, but we've all got to also take responsibility as individuals to make sure we're really thinking about what we're bringing into New Zealand at any stage, either commercially or non commercially.

Look, that's a that's a big question to Look, there's been twelve of these breaks so far in the last period that I can recall, the last couple of decades or even a decade, I think it has been. There's been twelve of them. Mpi's got on top of every one of those. It's frightening to think that this is now the second one of the three years. I think if I've got that correct, and what we can see is there's a wee bit of a pattern there. So the reality is that we need education for every person in New Zealand to understand whatever you're bringing into this country, you've got to be super careful. This is why at the borders you've got great protection from our border security. Now, whether that is imported product, whether that's container as a product that isn't fresh fruit and vegetables which could have fruit fly in it, or whether it's on an aeroplane traveling into the country. Our border controls are very very good, but we've all got to also take responsibility as individuals to make sure we're really thinking about what we're bringing into New Zealand at any stage, either commercially or non commercially.

Good stuff. Well, I fingers crossed and good luck with everything that's Jerry Prendergast. He is the United Fresh and New Zealand President.

Good stuff. Well, I fingers crossed and good luck with everything that's Jerry Prendergast. He is the United Fresh and New Zealand President.

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