Concerns over heavy handed approach to fruit fly inspections, fines for Gather Round travellers

There are warnings being too quick to fine people crossing into SA with fruit will create a negative experience for Gather Round – but others say tourists should know better.

Leaving tourists with happy memories of visiting South Australia for major events such as Gather Round should be as important as imposing biosecurity fines to protect the state’s lucrative crops from fruit fly, industry leaders argue.

Football fans have been welcomed with threats of a $409 fine into SA amid a fruit fly crackdown targeting AFL fans.

Random Department of Primary Industries and Regions “roadblocks” met carloads of interstate travellers bound for Adelaide this week.

Extra biosecurity inspection officers were stationed along the SA-Victoria border, who were prepared to fine those who refused to discard their fruit and vegetables.

A fruit fly quarantine sign 2km into South Australia from the Victorian border. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Official data on the number of fines, checks and seized fruit was unavailable on Friday, but questions were asked if the crackdown was too harsh.

Tourism Industry Council South Australia chief executive officer Shaun de Bruyn said while “wilful” breaches should be punished, education may be a better option at first.

“The protection of the agriculture sector is an incredibly important issue and it’s certainly an important responsibility for the government. We can’t diminish that importance,” he said.

“But if this can be done in a way that supports tourism or events and provides visitors into the state with a positive, not negative, experience that would be preferable.

“It is the how, not the what. It’s how to educate people.

“It’s really important our visitors have a positive experience but that we tell them we’ve really unique fruit fly regulations that other parts of the country don’t have. Can’t we do both at the same time?”

A biosecurity officer weighs confiscated fruit and vegetables at the border this week. Picture: Arj Ganesan

But SA-Best Upper House Frank Pangallo backed the government’s “zero tolerance” to protect the state’s “unique position of being fruit fly free”.

“We can’t risk that all because of the reckless or careless attitude by someone who fails to declare or throw out a banana or an apple with fruit fly maggots,” he said.

“If they cop a stiff fine, well stiff luck. You were warned well before you entered our state.”

Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said staff at biosecurity checkpoints reported “higher than usual volumes of traffic over the past few days”.

“Any detections highlight the importance of fruit fly prevention measures in protecting South Australia’s $1.45 billion horticulture industry,” she said.

PIRSA’s online fruit fly outbreak map shows there have been several detections of Queensland fruit fly across the Riverland over the past few months.