Keeping Kangaroo Island safe from pests and disease
Kangaroo Island is a popular tourist destination and its remoteness boasts a unique environment that is free from many pests and diseases found on mainland Australia.
Every time someone travels to the island, there is a risk that pests or diseases could be introduced. This has the potential to devastate the local environment and agricultural industries.
To protect the environment and agricultural industries on Kangaroo Island, legislation is in place to reduce the risks and this page outlines how you can help.
Items you cannot bring to Kangaroo Island
Fresh fruit and vegetables
If you are travelling from a declared fruit fly outbreak area, there are restrictions in place to limit the movement of some fruit and vegetables at risk from fruit fly.
Check the fruit fly outbreak map to see if your area is affected and understand the restrictions that apply.
Potatoes
Do not bring unwashed or dirty potatoes for eating, or seed potatoes for planting. They may carry disease which could devastate the local seed potato industry.
You can bring washed or brushed potatoes that are in new (unopened) packaging for eating.
Permits for keeping animals
You can apply for permits to keep domestic goats and pigs. For more information, go to Landscape SA Kangaroo Island.
Checking travellers to Kangaroo Island
When travelling to Kangaroo Island, you may encounter a random biosecurity check. Our staff are stationed at Cape Jervis Ferry Terminal and Kingscote Airport and will be looking for restricted items.
Amnesty bins are available at all entry points to Kangaroo Island. If you have any restricted items, you may dispose of them in these bins.
Other ways to help
Practice good farm biosecurity
When visiting local farms or agricultural land, make sure you follow instructions before entering the property. Farm biosecurity is designed to protect properties from the entry and spread of pests and diseases.
Report sightings of pests
If you see an animal or plant pest while on Kangaroo Island, please report it immediately to PIRSA Kingscote on (08) 8553 4949.
Pests include:
- feral pigs
- foxes
- rabbits
- ferrets
- declared weeds
- feral goats
- feral deer
- European wasps.
More information
Transcript
Transcript
Welcome to Kangaroo Island.
Our home.
A place that's pretty unique.
Our secluded location helps keep our industries and our natural environmentfree of disease.
We protect our island as if our future depends on it.
Because it does.
Kangaroo Island is known for its disease-free soils.
Together, our growers produce about 16% of Australia’s seed potatoes.
The island is also home to the purest strain of the Ligurian bee left in the world.
Not bringing honey products to Kangaroo Island will help us protect the unique Ligurian bee.
Kangaroo Island's natural environment has had a tough time over the last few years.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to protect it from plant pests.
Pest animal species also threaten the island's native wildlife, like our beautiful KI Echidna.
Marine pests don't just threaten our biodiversity, but also our fishing, aquaculture and tourism, which are all lifelines for our locals.
If you have any items you are unsure about, put them into the amnesty bins at the ferry terminal or at the airport.
Remember, our team work really hard to keep Kangaroo Island free of disease by conducting random biosecurity checks.
Help us to protect our island home.
Our best defence against biosecurity threats is you.
This initiative is part of the Kangaroo Island Biosecurity Rebuild Project and is jointly funded by the South Australian and Australian Governments as part of the National Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.