Eat your fruit at home to help fight fruit fly outbreaks in SA

South Australians are being urged to unite against fruit fly – and even forgo packing fruit in the school lunches. Ridiculous or reasonable? Take our poll.

A sterile Queensland fruit fly on an apricot.

South Australians are being urged to unite against fruit fly just as they rallied to stop the spread of COVID-19 – and eat their fruit at home.

The State Government has directed people in quarantine areas covering a huge part of Adelaide to not take fresh fruit away from their houses – even to snack on at work or as part of school lunch boxes. It also means they cannot pack a fruit salad or fruity pavlova to share at Australia Day picnics.

Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister David Basham said people should not move any fruit away from homes within the quarantine area, which now covers 297 suburbs between Sturt and Eden Hills in the south, and Salisbury in the north.

It stretches between the coast and Highbury and Mount Osmond in the east. The advice follows a series of outbreaks in Adelaide, and also applies to people within a large part of the Riverland now under quarantine.

However, Mr Basham said it would be “extremely difficult” to fine people ignoring the direction.

David Basham. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

He said the advice followed 12 outbreaks of Queensland and Mediterranean fruit fly in the Riverland and Adelaide over the past year, and would reduce the insects’ impact on the state’s $1.3bn horticulture industries.

“We’ve seen nine outbreaks across the Adelaide metropolitan area, which would suggest that there’s probably some movement of fruit going on,” Mr Basham said.

“We need to make sure that people stop that. It’s certainly one of the worst years we’ve had with the number of outbreaks.”

Mr Basham said it was unlikely the outbreaks were caused by flies moving within their normal range, but rather by settling in new areas after larvae-infested fruit was moved by people.

He likened the latest call to action to South Australians “coming together to get us through the COVID battle”.

Penny Reidy, marketing manager for the SA Produce Market, said the organisation supported the Government’s latest direction to protect horticulture from fruit fly.

“It’s something that could devastate the industry if it’s not eradicated,” she said.

However, Ms Reidy said people should not be discouraged from buying fruit, with strict measures in place at markets and shops to prevent further outbreaks.

“We’d hate people to stop having fruit and vegetables in their diet because they’re scared about it. It’s just about being very aware and careful about where you’re transporting fruit,” she said.

Hundreds of growers are affected by outbreaks in Monash and Renmark West discovered in backyard fruit trees. Some must spend thousands of dollars treating their produce.

Citrus SA chairman Mark Doecke said it would cause a “massive headache” for citrus growers at harvest in early April.

“The freight logistics, rules and regulations all become 10 times harder because of the fruit fly outbreak and if it’s 10 times harder it’s also 10 times more costly,” he said.

Riverland Wine general manager Jo Pippos supported a “strong, systematic approach” towards fruit movement.

“With Australia Day coming up there will be a lot of holiday-makers coming into the Riverland that may not even be aware that we have fruit fly,” she said.

Winegrape growers must follow protocols to reduce the risk of spreading fruit fly, such as ensuring grapes are not loaded right to the top of bins, to stop spillage.

For more information, head to pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity/fruit_fly_in_sa

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