THE state is battling biosecurity wars on multiple fronts at the moment, with authorities attempting to control fruit fly outbreaks in metropolitan Adelaide and the Riverland, while also announcing ehrlichiosis, a deadly tick-borne disease wreaking havoc on dogs in northern Australia, has made its way to SA.
I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking I've seen or been involved in more discussions about the contents of children's lunchboxes in the past week than ever before.
Talk in the media about a ban on fruit in school lunches caused panic and confusion among parents. This confusion was capitalised on by Labor, which accused the government of causing "chaos" with its handling of fruit fly outbreak information.
The confusion led to a significant drop off in fruit sales last week - with Horticulture Coalition of SA chair Angelo Demasi reporting a 50pc decrease in stonefruit sales and a 30pc drop in apple and pear sales.
Thankfully, these trends have improved this week, but the incident shows the impact confusing messages can have on our agricultural sectors.
Related reading: Fruit fly messaging made clearer
All the talk about what could and couldn't be on the menu at recess time completely drowned out any discussion about why restrictions on fruit movement were so important. The fact that there is so much on the line for our horticulture sector barely rated a mention.
I have friends who work in the education sector in Adelaide who were unsure about what, if any, fruit they were able to buy and then bring from home.
Several friends who work in other industries but live in the suspension zone were not aware there were restrictions they needed to abide by too.
When confusion reigns supreme, people either panic, or approach the issue with apathy or defiance - none of which help efforts to control a pest or disease outbreak.
The pandemic has shown South Australians are willing and able to follow the instructions of authorities and abide by restrictions that stipulate what they can and cannot do in all aspects of their lives.
Let's hope the hundreds of thousands of people who live in the Adelaide outbreak and suspension zones have the same impressive attitude even when it's not their loved ones' health we're attempting to protect and safeguard, but rather the future of our valuable horticulture sector.
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Jacinta Rose
Editor of the Stock Journal - South Australia's agricultural masthead
Editor of the Stock Journal - South Australia's agricultural masthead
