$9 million to supportaction on fruit fly

Over

people reached through social media activities

Over 3,000 people attended industry and community fruit fly events

With a farm gate value estimated at $2.4 billion, the Victorian horticultural industry accounts for 52 per cent of Australia’s

horticultural exports.

This industry is pivotal to the economic health and social well-being of our regional and rural communities. Sustained prosperity depends on

continuously evolving best practice fruit fly management and delivering contemporary and effective treatment options to maintain and

increase market access.

The Managing Fruit Fly in Victoria: Action Plan 2015-2020 is a collaborative effort involving the Victorian Government, industry

and the community working together to mitigate the impact and potential risks of fruit flies, particularly Queensland fruit fly

(QFF).

State-wide Action PlanThis five year State-wide Action Plan focuses on three action areas:

I. Strengthening the co-ordination and collaboration of fruit fly management.

II. Improving the management of fruit fly.

III. Enabling intrastate, interstate and international trade.

Engagement with industry and communitiesThe Action Plan empowers industry and community to take the lead on fruit fly control programs across Victoria.

Innovative governance arrangements, including the establishment of a state-wide Victorian Fruit Fly Advisory Committee, Regional

Coordinators, Regional Governance Groups and Regional Action Plans are guiding fruit fly management activities at the local level.

Economic Development,Jobs, Transport and Resources

AchievementsImplementation of the Action Plan has seen significant government, community and industry investment, particularly in the three major horticulture regions of Sunraysia, Goulburn Valley and Yarra Valley.

• Over $4.4 million in grants awarded to implement QFF control and awareness programs across regional Victoria.

• 28,000 fruit fly traps distributed to home owners in the Sunraysia region.

• 5,000 urban fruit trees removed from fruit growing regions.

• 28 community groups across the state working to combat fruit fly at a local level.

Innovation• Investment of $900,000 to support the development of a sterile

QFF rearing facility in South Australia.

• In collaboration with Summerfruit Australia, Queensland University of Technology and Plant Biosecurity CRC, Agriculture Victoria has developed a novel female Queensland fruit fly trap. The trap is currently undergoing field testing across Victoria.

• AgriBio scientists are conducting research on a hand-held, electronic nose (E-nose) device that detects and identifies complex chemical odours in a similar way to the human nose. They are currently testing if the E-nose can pick up specific odours emitted by fruit fly infested fruits. If this electronic device can consistently detect fruit fly maggots in host fruit, it could potentially be used to scan fruit before it is packed for market.

• National development of molecular diagnostic tools to identify pest and non-pest fruit fly species from Australia and overseas.

• New portable molecular technologies for on-site identification of fruit fly larvae.

Over 900 advertisements on regional television, including radio and print media

More than

11,000 views on the web-based information hub

Distribution of

24,000 information brochures and translation of key fruit fly information into seven languages