Bird spray trial

By Dion Teasdale
YARRA Valley fruit growers, whose orchards have been attacked by an invasion of lorikeets, are set to take part in a trial aimed at deterring the nuisance birds.
The trial, to be funded by the State Government, will target lorikeet populations in Gruyere and Wandin by using a chemical deterrent derived from grape seeds.
Evelyn MP Heather McTaggart announced last week that the Government was waiting for the trial to be given the go-ahead and that fifth-generation orchardist Terry Burgi had been asked to take part in the trial.
“Other control methods have failed so we now need to consider new and innovative options as long as they are effective and safe,” Ms McTaggart said.
“Provided the chemical receives regulatory approvals in Victoria and from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, the Bracks Government will support a joint trial with industry.”
Ms McTaggart said the grape seed derived chemical had been used in the United States to repel birds and was currently undergoing trials in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.
“We are keen to see a demonstration site established in the area as soon as possible and a full trial set up to find out whether this will help local growers deal with their lorikeet problems,” she said.
“The chemical is specific to birds and does not have any known effects on mammals, including humans. It affects the mucous system of birds and drives them away from valuable fruit.”
Ms McTaggart said there were two ways to use the chemical – as a spray-on repellent or as a dry fog.
“Both methods would need to undergo trials to see which, if any, is the most effective,” she said.
Terry Burgi from Burgi Orchards said his family was keen to take part in the trial.
“We’ve had substantial bird damage on our apple crops this year and we have been looking everywhere for help,” he said.
“At this stage we are anticipating having somewhere in the vicinity of half our crop damaged by lorikeets. We hope this trial holds some promise.”
Mr Burgi said he did not believe either netting crops or culling birds would provide the solution fruit farmers needed and that the grape seed chemical could provide some answers.
“We need to find new and more effective ways of dealing with the lorikeets and there has been a lot of searching for answers,” he said.
“Thankfully, Heather has heard us and got some proactive thinking going on in the Government and this trial is a step in the right direction.”
Coldstream orchardist Alan Upton from Maroondah Orchards, who told the Mail in January that the State Government was not doing enough to help fruit growers deal with the influx of lorikeets, also welcomed the grape seed chemical trial.
“This initiative is definitely worth looking at and could provide the industry with an effective tool for dealing with the birds,” he said.
“It is encouraging that some attention is being given to the problem and that alternatives are being explored.”
Shire of Yarra Ranges acting executive officer of economic development Ian Ada said he was cautiously optimistic of the benefits of the trial.
“As this is a trial we have to be cautious when predicting outcomes but it certainly has the potential to provide some answers,” he said.
“Any product that can deter birds and have minimal impact on the environment is a positive step forward.”
Mr Ada said the Yarra Valley orchard fruit industry, which covers 1800 hectares, was worth up to $60 million annually.
“It is critical to find strategies for reducing the impact of the lorikeets and this trial might give some leads as to how we are to deal with this problem,” he said.