CHRISTINE WEBSTER
THE peak body representing the state’s citrus growers is calling for regular fruit fly roadblocks at Blanchetown during weekends, long weekends, and school holidays.
Citrus Growers SA chairman, Mark Doecke, who has a citrus property at Sunlands, believes the risk of bringing fruit fly into the region is higher during these periods.
“Now that we have Mediterranean fruit fly in Adelaide, we should increase random roadblocks,” he said.
Mr Doecke said it was concerning how many Riverland people were among those being caught with fruit at fruit fly road blocks and quarantine stations.
He said about 30 per cent of those being caught were from the Riverland.
Some Riverland residents have complained on social media about being waved on and not being checked at the temporary fruit fly road block at Blanchetown.
Mr Doecke has defended PIRSA staff for their actions.
He said the temporary roadblock at Blanchetown was sufficient deterrent for people to do the right thing.
“Anything the government can do to reduce that risk, citrus growers are happy with that,” Mr Doecke said.
“I know it may be a random roadblock, but the deterrent is still there, when you go down the road in a 60km/h zone, you only do 50km/h don’t you?
“You could do more, but you don’t because you know you could get booked.”
He said this was the same with a random fruit fly roadblock.
“You never know when it is going to be there so you are better off not bringing fruit to the Riverland,” Mr Doecke said.
He rejected suggestions Blanchetown needed a permanent roadblock, like Yamba, and said the permanent bins and signs urging motorists to dispose of their fruit before entering the region worked well.
“Most of the pressure from fruit fly comes from the eastern states and that is why the main focus is on the east,” Mr Doecke said.
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, David Basham, said the state government was using every tool at its disposal to protect South Australia’s $1.3 billion horticulture industry, which was vulnerable to fruit fly.
He said the industry supported tens of thousands of jobs.
“The Yamba Quarantine Station along with our random roadblocks are both key parts of our fight against fruit fly,” Mr Basham said.
“We have significantly increased the number of random roadblocks per year and we coincide them with periods of increased traffic such as long weekends and school holidays.”
“While our random roadblocks are a highly visible deterrent to motorists it is also important they are conducted in a safe way that doesn’t cause traffic issues.”
He said all vehicles passed without inspection when no roadblocks were in place, so there was no greater risk to the Riverland when some vehicles were waved through during regular random roadblock inspection exercises.
“Disappointingly, our most recent roadblock campaign saw nearly one in 10 motorists flouting our strict biosecurity rules resulting in nearly 1000 fines being issued,” he said.
People caught trying to bring fruit through quarantine stations at Yamba or Pinnaroo and at the random fruit fly roadblock at Blanchetown face a $407 fine.