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Bin Fruit and Vegetables at the Border

Thursday 24 September 2009

South Australian families planning to travel during the school holidays – or take a quick trip to Melbourne for the AFL Grand Final this weekend – are being asked to do their bit to keep SA fruit fly free.

Fruit and vegetables from interstate must not to be brought back into South Australia. Also anyone travelling into the Riverland with fruit and vegetables purchased elsewhere in South Australia must carry an itemised receipt. This produce must then not be taken across the border.

Geoff Raven, PIRSA Biosecurity Manager Food and Plant Standards said illegally trafficking fruit and vegetable produce now attracts large fines.

“The new Plant Health Act, introduced in August, allows for steeper penalties and tougher restrictions on the movement of fruit and vegetables in and out of the state and the Riverland,” he said.

“Individuals caught illegally trafficking fruit and vegetables face on-the-spot fines of $315.”

South Australia remains the only mainland State to be fruit fly free, despite significant fruit fly activity in the eastern states.

“A single piece of infested fruit has the potential to devastate the State’s $480 million fresh fruit and vegetable industry,” he said.

“Maintaining our fruit fly free status ensures our industry continues to receive ongoing access to lucrative export markets worth millions of dollars.

“So please before you come home – stop at our quarantine bins, stop at our roadblocks, stop at our borders – and make sure you aren’t carrying any fruit and vegetables.”

For more information contact PIRSA’s fruit fly hotline on 1300 666 010.