Gather Round AFL fans slugged $100,000 in fines for illegal fruit after biosecurity crackdown

Dozens of Gather Round football fans copped more than $100,000 worth of fines for travelling into SA with illegal produce. Was the crackdown too harsh? Take our poll here.

Dozens of Gather Round football fans copped more than $100,000 worth of fines for travelling to South Australia with illegal produce, official figures show, as new fruit fly outbreaks are declared.

Department of Primary Industries and Regions data reveals 249 expiation notices, worth $409 each, were issued for breaching quarantine rules at two random Victorian border checkpoints during the AFL festival this month.

Inspectors imposed almost $102,000 worth of fines after seizing 314kg of produce from travellers, accused of ignoring multiple warnings signs to bin fruit, vegetables, plants or other plan products.

The state government refused to waive the fines over the three-day crackdown along the Victorian border because of its “zero tolerance” to fruit fly to protect SA’s $1.45 billion horticulture industry.

Tourism chiefs questioned if the crackdown was too harsh.

But Horticulture Coalition chairman, Angelo Demasi, who is also chief executive of the SA Produce Market, said zero tolerance was vital.

“I don’t understand why people don’t read the signs,” he said. “It is one of those things that’s been around for decades.”

The details emerged as two new Queensland fruit fly outbreaks were declared in the Riverland.

Biosecurity chiefs are fighting 40 outbreaks in the area.

A biosecurity inspection officer weighings confiscated fruit and vegetables found in the lead-up to the Gather Round. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Football fans were targets of the new fruit fly crackdown at a Riverland checkpoint Yamba, on the Sturt Highway 26km east of Renmark, and in the South-East at Bordertown, on the Dukes Highway 18km from the Victorian border.

Almost a fifth of tourists heading to Adelaide through Bordertown breached biosecurity laws compared with one in 10 visitors at Yamba.

In contrast, 157 notices were issued at Easter.

Officials say offence reports recorded what prohibited items were detected and are the documentation used for expiation notices.

Biosecurity safety exploded into national prominence before Gather Round after one of Australia’s top comedians, Mick Molloy, a co-host of cult Channel 7 footy show, was accused of a “reckless joke” about smuggling fruit over the Victorian border.

It is understood after the Molloy issue was raised in parliament, Primary Industries authorities created plans for two more border checkpoints, and extra staff ahead of Gather Round and last weekend’s LIV Golf tournament.

Operations data linked to LIV Golf were unavailable.

Fruit Fly Quarantine sign 2km into South Australia Border from Victoria. Picture: Arj Ganesan

SA-Best Upper House MP, Frank Pangallo – who originally criticised Molloy – called for PIRSA to use his profile to promote fruit fly campaigns.

“The sheer volume of fruit collected at the borders in such a short space of time should ring alarm bells about the real risk of fresh infestations of fruit fly breaking out,” he said.

Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said commercial growers have to spend several hundreds of dollars per hectare every year to stop fruit fly.

“This is so important for our industry and community so we don’t see further outbreaks like we did a few years back in metropolitan Adelaide where, for example, many kids couldn’t bring fruit to school,” she said.

PIRSA inspectors have ordered new 1.5km red outbreak zones as inspectors apply special bait at 49 farms to combat new fruit fly outbreaks.

Maggots were found in residential peaches in Waikerie on April 6. Maggots were also discovered in grapefruit at a small commercial property on Monday last week.