The Ministry for Primary Industries has identified the moths infesting a ship bound for New Zealand.
An MPI spokesperson says the moths on board the ANL Warragul were identified as the bogong moth and southern armyworm moth.
They are considered biosecurity pests and are therefore regulated by MPI.
'We have advised the vessel it will require decontamination before it can enter New Zealand, but we understand it is returning to Australia.”
The ANL Warragul was heading to the Port of Tauranga from Sydney when the insects were discovered on Sunday morning.
The vessel remained outside the 12 nautical mile mark while MPI undertook and investigation to determine the moth species.
The bogong moth, named for an Aboriginal word meaning ‘brown', is found primarily in southern and western areas of Australia, while the southern armyworm moth is native to the American tropics, occurring widely in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
SunLive has contacted the Port of Tauranga for comment.
1 comment
Globalisation
Posted on 24-10-2017 12:17 | By overit
Freaky stuff, glad they were seen. Its only a matter of time before something really big hits us after PSA. Wonder how those cows down south were infected.
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