Fears fruit fly numbers may spike in Victoria
Victorian fruit growers are facing another challenge this season with experts warning a “perfect storm” of factors may lead to a dramatic rise in fruit fly numbers.
A perfect storm of weather conditions, labour shortages and low export demand has left Victorian fruit growers contending with yet another challenge for the coming season: swarms of Queensland fruit fly.
Experts are warning the pest’s numbers are expected to rise dramatically in the months ahead, particularly after growers were forced to leave large volumes of produce unpicked last season.
And the timing could hardly be worse, coming after the Victorian Government cut funding to the state’s Fruit Fly Strategy in last week’s state budget.
Cobram and District Fruit Growers Association general manager Karen Abberfield said labour shortages during the summer stonefruit season meant growers in the region left about 30 per cent of their crop on trees or in the orchard, increasing the habitat for fruit fly.
The Covid-19 pandemic also meant export demand was much lower than usual, leaving more fruit available for the domestic market – and therefore leading to weak market prices.
“In the end it just became uneconomic to pick,” Ms Abberfield said.
“It was heartbreaking because it was such a bumper crop, the fruit was absolutely beautiful.”
The Goulburn Murray Valley Regional Fruit Fly Project has said the La Nina weather events of the past year have also helped create the ideal environment for fruit fly to hang around in higher numbers over winter, meaning the population could reach a critical level
Everyone from farmers to home gardeners are being urged to look after their properties to reduce the impact, by removing and treating all host fruit on trees or on the ground.
Last week, the Victorian Government announced it would provide $6.4 million over four years to the state’s Fruit Fly Strategy, a reduction from the $7.84 million in community grants received over the previous four years.
Ms Abberfield said while it was pleasing the funding was locked in for four years, the lower amount meant groups would now have to think carefully how to allocate funds.
“What we need now is to improvise and adapt and work out how we’re going to spend less money at a time when the need is greater than ever,” she said.
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