The ERZ is a defined zone from which host material intended for export cannot be harvested, packed or stored. MPI have defined a compulsory ERZ which is 3.5 km radius from each detection site.
All host material transiting the MPI defined ERZ must meet the pest proofing requirements to be eligible for export certification. MPI Plant Exports have developed pest proofing requirements and procedures which are available on the MPI website – click here.
Jan Purdie, Apata
Jan was deployed through KiwiNet and spent five days in the response operations in Grey Lynn.
Role: Surveillance. The surveillance team spends their day walking from house to house identifying and recording host plants on properties and collecting information about fruit and vegetable movements.
Within hours of receiving a call requesting help with the fruit fly response, Jan arrived at the Whenuapai Airbase in northwest Auckland for her first briefing.
Jan spent the next five days in Zone B as part of the surveillance team. This meant going from door to door in the controlled area talking to residents and asking them a series of questions about how they were disposing their fruit waste, whether or not they kept compost, checking properties for host plants and asking them about their recent activities around fruit and vegetable movements.
This information was recorded on manual forms, returned to HQ and later used by the fruit collection and tracing teams.
Dealing with so many people each day from very diverse cultures and backgrounds meant the surveillance people had to have good face to face communication and people skills.
Jan said local residents were very receptive and showed a lot of concern about fruit fly being discovered in their area. “Most residents were always happy to help and we met some truly wonderful people in the area. The locals and the people working in the response were doing all they could to help eradicate this fruit fly.”
A sailor who appeared in the Kaikohe District on 17 February has become the first person convicted for deliberately concealing biosecurity goods on a visiting yacht.
Lisa Ferguson, Trevelyan’s Pack and Cool
Lisa was contacted through KiwiNet to assist with the response operations and spent seven days in the field.
Role: Fruit fly trapper and approved handler of DDVP, the insecticide used in these traps. The core role of a fruit fly trapper is to establish and service the traps within the Controlled Area. Servicing includes making sure all aspects of the trap are functioning properly.
Every day was an early start – on the road by 5.45am to beat the Auckland traffic into HQ from accommodation at Devonport Naval Base. On arrival breakfast was provided before a daily briefing at 7.30am.
Trapping is a huge task. Around 335 traps in Zone A are checked daily; and more than 730 traps in Zone B and the high-risk area outside of Zone B are checked every three days. Around 20 trappers are deployed, each monitoring 60-70 traps per day. Traps are checked, serviced and scanned using an electronic device, which then transmits accurate data back to HQ for analysis.
All trap checks must be completed before retiring for the evening, so this often meant spending time helping others complete their duties.
Lisa was inspired by the comradery and team culture during the response. “So many people from all over New Zealand were deployed with only a few hours’ notice. Their work ethic, energy and compassion were very inspiring. The operation is an enormous logistical task and all New Zealanders should be very proud of what MPI have accomplished so far and are continuing to do so.”
The total number of fruit flies found stands at 13. Two further male fruit flies were trapped within the controlled area over the last two days. There is no new evidence to suggest the situation is anything more than a localised population of fruit fly that can be eradicated.
Field work continues with a focus on the surveillance trapping system. Field teams are also applying insecticide bait throughout the Controlled Area, informing residents about the controls and inspecting gardens and rubbish bins.
Up to 30 kiwifruit industry people have been deployed into the response operations through KiwiNet to assist MPI and AsureQuality in the field. Lisa Ferguson from Trevelyan’s and Jan Purdie from Apata share their experiences and what their days involved.
Bud-rot in green kiwifruit (Actinidia sp.) varieties – spring 2014
The project aimed to identify the primary cause of bud-rot in green kiwifruit from orchards involved in a Psa spray programme trial. It concluded the majority of bud-rot symptoms observed in this trial were the result of Psa-V infection.
