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Fruit fly joy marred by a new find

Posted on December 16, 2011

By BEN PISCIONERI

AFTER one of the worst fruit fly affected seasons in Sunraysia’s history, there’s finally some good news for Mallee horticulturists.

GOOD FRUIT: Victorian Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh announces the lifting of five fruit fly suspension zones, flanked by Member for Mildura Peter Crisp.

The Victorian Government yesterday announced five areas within the Sunraysia Pest Free Area have had restrictions lifted, allowing them to once again sell and market their fruit without the need to meet additional quarantine requirements.

Wemen, Karadoc, Lake Powell, Boundary Bend and Nyah West have been given the all clear, while Yelta was also expected be cleared yesterday, according to Victorian Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh.

Mr Walsh said yesterday Cardross could also be given the all clear by today.

There were more than 110 fruit fly outbreaks last season, which couldn’t have come at a worse time for Sunraysia’s table grape growers, who were among those hit hardest by the outbreaks, right in the middle of their peak period.

While welcoming yesterday’s announcement with Peter Walsh, Member for Mildura Peter Crisp said it was once again a vital time for the district’s table grape growers.

“By far the greatest crop that will be affected by this is our table grape crops and we need as many areas to come out before the table grape season gets underway,” Mr Crisp said yesterday.

“This will make it much easier for growers to manage all the protocols and all the issues association with being in an outbreak area when you’re trying to harvest and market your crops.”

Australian Table Grape Association chairman, Angie Panagiotaros, said while he welcomed this week’s announcement there was concern about the detection of fruit fly at Buronga a week ago.

Mr Panagiotaros said several of the 29 remaining areas under fruit fly suspension restrictions were within weeks of being cleared.

Nangiloc is scheduled to be cleared by January 3, Nichols Point by January 21, Merbein by January 23, Mildura by February 6 and Merbein East on February 3.

However, if any of those areas are within 15 kilometres of last week’s detection at Buronga, they will be forced to work within the suspension zone restrictions until March 8 next year, if no more fruit flies are detected.

Meanwhile, Mr Walsh yesterday announced two major efforts in a bid to prevent similar outbreaks to last season happening again.

He said a combination of climatic conditions and people bringing fruit fly into Sunraysia were behind last season’s outbreak, and while the Government has no control over climatic conditions, it could take steps to prevent people spreading fruit fly.

“The key message, with Christmas and New Year coming up, is if you’re travelling out of the area, please don’t bring fruit back, and if you have visitors coming in from out of state, please tell them not to bring fruit into the area,” Mr Walsh said.

“All the good work that the people of Sunraysia have been doing, both the horticulture groups and the DPI can be undone by one person doing the wrong thing and bringing fruit into the area which could have a fruit fly or fruit fly larvae.”

He said the government was in the process of revamping fruit fly warning signage on major roads coming into the pest free zone.

“That work is well advanced and will be finished in the next couple of weeks,” Mr Walsh said.

“Those (existing) signs have been up for a long time and I don’t think people really register with them any more.

“For many people, seeing a fly on a sign with a red line through doesn’t necessarily give the clear message.”

Mr Walsh said clear advertising of the penalties associated with bringing fruit fly into the district should prove more effective.

“The most sensitive nerve on the human body is actually the hip pocket nerve,” he said.

Mr Walsh said once people realised they could face fines of more than $600 there should be a stronger deterrent.

Mildura Mayor John Arnold also welcomed this week’s announcement but stressed the need to avoid becoming complacent.

“For our municipality, it’s of the utmost importance that the message gets through to travellers that it’s absolutely disastrous to bring fruit into our area,” the Mayor said.

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