New Zealand finds fruit fly that could threaten crops, sets up hundreds of traps

WELLINGTON (REUTERS) - New Zealand on Thursday (Feb 21) set up hundreds of traps around the country's largest city of Auckland after finding a second Queensland fruit fly, a species that poses a risk to the country's multi-billion dollar horticulture sector.

A solitary male Queensland fly was collected from a fruit fly surveillance trap and formally identified on Wednesday, the Ministry of Primary Industries said in a statement.

The Queensland fruit fly can damage a variety of fruit and vegetables, with a widespread outbreak potentially hitting farmers hard and possibly leading to restrictions on horticultural exports such as the popular kiwifruit.

However, the ministry said that it did not think there was an outbreak of fruit flies and that there was no evidence of a breeding population yet.

This was the second Queensland fruit fly found in the region in the past week, with the first discovered on Feb 14.

Field crews have been placing traps and distributing informational materials to the public to educate them on fruit flies.

Biosecurity New Zealand said it was investigating how the fruit flies had entered the country despite tight border controls and surveillance.

"We need to know what we are dealing with as the response ramps up at pace to ensure the fruit fly doesn't establish here," Biosecurity minister Damien O'Connor said in a statement.

The minister cut short a visit to the UAE and Egypt after the second fruit fly was detected.

The government has in the past made large sale efforts to eradicate discoveries of fruit flies. In 2015, the country spent about NZ$16 million discovering and getting rid of a breeding population of 14 flies and larvae.

The US$5.68 billion horticulture industry is the country's fourth largest exporter, with shipments going to over 124 countries, according to Horticulture New Zealand.

Kiwi fruit alone accounts for more than US$1 billion in export earnings.