Canada: Public urged not to take fruit into Okanagan
"Don’t bring fruit," asks Glen Lucas, general manager of the BC Fruit Growers’ Association. Lucas had been lobbying the government to erect signs for years.
"It would really harm our industry, because we’re an area of low-pest prevalence. We spray less, are more environmentally friendly. If it does become established, it would mean more sprays," he said.
The Okanagan is well protected from maggots and other bacteria due to its arid temperature and mountainous surroundings. But Lucas said it would only take one infested Lower Mainland apple placed in an Okanagan compost for an outbreak to start.
The province is asking people do not take any fruits, including apples, crabapples, hawthorn, pears, and plums out of the Lower Mainland, and to keep plants with garden soil grown near fruit trees out of those areas. They also ask people not to compost any apples that appear to be infested with maggots, and to place them in a sealed plastic bag buried 30 cm deep or a local landfill instead.
Source: theprovince.com
