A sizeable mouse infestation has wreaked havoc on a shipment of kiwi fruit.
Following hot on the heels of the high-profile rat problem in New Zealand supermarkets (see article in Commercial Pest Control segment), a mouse infestation has been found on board a cargo ship carrying the first shipment of new season kiwi fruit from New Zealand to Europe. Valued at around NZ$12 million, apart from the financial hit should the shipment be written off, issues like this can have knock-on effects on future sales as well as causing reputational damage.
The mouse infestation was discovered on board when the ship docked at Zeebrugge, Belgium. The whole shipment needed to be unloaded and quarantined. It will remain in quarantine until the level of damage is determined and a decision is made as to whether any of the stock can be used or if the whole shipment must be destroyed. Apart from direct damage to fruit, there is the issue of contamination with droppings and urine, with mice known to carry leptospirosis and Salmonella. Zespri, the company managing the marketing and sales of kiwi fruit, cannot afford to release fruit with any potential risk to human health. To do so would also create a more significant issue further down the supply chain in terms of cost and reputational damage.
Zespri is working with its shipping partner and insurance company to investigate the cause of the infestation and determine who will bear the cost of any losses.
Mice issues on cargo ships certainly aren’t common – the roof rat (Rattus rattus), also known as the ship rat, is more commonly the cause of rodent problems on ships. What’s more intriguing in this case is that it appears to be a widespread problem on the ship, with mice found in all 16 of its refrigerated holds. Investigations are focused on trying to establish whether the problem was pre-existing on the ship or was introduced onto the boat when the fruit was loaded in New Zealand.
