Source: ABC News
About 370 kilograms of fruit and vegetables have been seized at a random fruit fly roadblock in South Australia’s Riverland.
Biosecurity SA stopped traffic at the Blanchetown heavy vehicle weighing station last weekend.
It inspected more than 1,300 vehicles and found 448 carrying fruit.
However, Biosecurity’s compliance officer, Mark Langman, says about half of those vehicles were carrying an itemised receipt to carry fruit.
Mr Langman says it is heartening to know the message is getting through.
“People are definitely getting the message in relation to carrying an itemised receipt,” he said.
“Nearly half of the vehicles with fruit had an itemised receipt and I’d say looking at past performance we’d probably be looking at 15 or 20 per cent with the itemised receipt, so that message is definitely getting through.”
Mr Langman says only a minority of people are deliberately breaking the rules.
“The vast majority of people were issued with a verbal warning but there was a small number, probably about 5 per cent where the report will be looked at more closely in head office and they may receive a fine,” he said.
“The people that did have fruit were honest and did own up but it was just disappointing that they brought it in without a receipt in the first place.”