By Renee Wood
The Yarra Valley’s defence against Queensland Fruit Fly has been bolstered following the State Government’s announcement it will be putting millions into fighting the pest.
The Yarra Valley action group is one of three who will share in $2.9 million worth of grants part of the government’s Fruit Fly Strategy 2021-25 which was developed with industry and is set to empower the community.
Agriculture minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she looks forward to seeing how the grants will support regional fruit fly coordinators on the ground to manage the pest.
“Fruit fly can build up in home gardens and unmanaged lands, leading to problems on productive farms – that’s why we are empowering industry and local communities to lead the management of Queensland fruit fly,” she said.
Kylie Ammerlaan from Yarra Valley Agriculture said they will receive almost $1.6 million to support the regional coordinator and the delivery of the strategy for the next two years.
“It includes fruit flies surveillance and central trapping projects, workshops and information sessions with schools industry, not for profit organizations, local government, and the general community as well as growers, where fruit fly protections are identified,” Ms Ammerlann said.
Ms Ammerlann said thankfully the pest isn’t endemic to the region and up until recently the Yarra Valley has been fruit fly free but hot spots have been found near Healesville Warburton and Silvan.
“I would say the numbers have been pretty stable the last couple of years. We have noticed them popping up in different spots but the response has been good and we’ve been able to manage the outbreaks really quickly and we haven’t had reoccurring events.”
New projects will commence in the new year part of the new strategy, including removing unwanted fruit trees on public land and piloting a method for an on farm waste management system to test in a commercial setting.
The regional coordinator will continue working with the community, with residents and landholder’s participation paramount to the success of keeping fruit fly out.
“Workshops with community groups, gardening groups, some men sheds – those really ground level programs and permaculture groups.
“We really tried to get the message taken up by community because obviously communities are a big part of trying to manage fruit fly, we can’t do it without everybody doing taking a part in surveillance program.
