Protecting our industries from fruit fly
It’s Everyone’s Responsibility to Keep the Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area Fruit Fly Free.
Travellers
- Do not bring host fruit or vegetables into the Pest Free Area unless you have a permit or a plant health certificate.
- Host fruit or vegetables without a certificate or permit must be disposed of in the quarantine bins located on the roadside before entering the PFA.
Residents within the PFA
- Do not bring host fruit or vegetables into the PFA unless you have a permit or plant health certification.
- Pick host fruit or vegetables as they ripen, manage backyard fruit trees and dispose of any fallen fruit. Place any unwanted fruit or vegetables into a plastic bag and leave in the sun for three days to kill any fruit fly maggots that may be present.
- Advise friends visiting you from outside the PFA not to bring host fruit or vegetables with them.
industry
- All host fruit or vegetables must be certified to enter the PFA. All receivers of fruit or vegetables must be accredited by DPI Victoria to inspect and verify that the host fruit or vegetables meet requirements. Otherwise consignments must be presented to a DPI inspector as required.
IMPORTANT: lf you find maggots in any fruit or vegetables please contact DPI Victoria as soon as possible on Free Call 136 186
What is the Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area?
The Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area is a new zone located within the existing Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone (FFEZ). It is renowned for the production of high value horticultural crops including citrus, table grapes and stone fruit. The Pest Free Area (PFA) is aligned to this production area to provide greater fruit fly control measures.
The Victorian and New South Wales Departments of Primary Industries (DPI) have introduced stringent legislative controls on the movement of host fruit and vegetables into the PFA to keep it free from the devastating pest, Queensland fruit fly.
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PFA for Sunraysia - Click to enlarge |
These strict controls on the movement of host fruit and vegetables have been introduced to maintain highly valuable interstate and overseas markets worth millions of dollars to ensure the area is free from fruit fly.
A detection of fruit fly within the PFA can result in the loss of lucrative export markets and the introduction of expensive control programs which affect the local fruit and vegetable industries and our communities.
What does Queensland fruit fly look like?
Adult Queensland fruit flies are about 7 mm long and are reddish-brown with distinct yellow oval markings. However, fruit fly is most likely to be detected in the quit infested with fruit maggots (5-10 mm long) can be found burrowing inside, even if the fruit appears to be perfect on the outside.
Why can just one piece of infested fruit devastate an entire production area?
A number of fruit fly maggots may be found in a single piece of fruit or vegetable. If just one female becomes an adult, she can lay up to 800 eggs in her lifetime. Because of the fly’s rapid breeding cycle, this can result in a population of over 700,000 flies in one season.
If unchecked, these flies can quickly disperse through a fruit or vegetable production area and result in unsaleable crops and loss of markets, as well as requiring expensive measures to bring the pest under control.
What fruits and vegetables are hosts?
Fruit flies lay eggs in many types of maturing and ripe fruit, as well as in some vegetables.
Host fruit and vegetables include:
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For a detailed host list, visit www pestfreearea com au
What are the control measures to protect the Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area?
Host fruit and vegetables cannot be taken into the PFA unless it is accompanied by a certificate or a permit stating that the produce meets the legislative requirements.
Signage has been placed along the roadside to alert travellers that they will be entering the PFA and to dispose of any host fruit or vegetables into the quarantine bins located on the roadside.
Mobile roadblocks operate within the borders of the PFA to enable DPI inspectors to check that travellers are not bringing host fruit or vegetables into the area.
WARNING: Under Victorian and New South Wales legislation, penalties may apply if host fruit or vegetables are taken into the area without certification.
Within Victoria a penalty of up to $5500 may apply. Similar penalties may apply for New South Wales.
For further information, please call DPI Customer Call Centre on 136 186 or visit the following websites: www.dpi.vic.gov.au or www.pestfreearea.com.au
