The Victorian Government has still not committed to funding the region’s Queensland fruit fly control program beyond June 30.

This is despite pleas from the local horticulture industry to continue the Area Wide Management Program to control Queensland fruit fly within the Goulburn and Murray valleys.

The industry is anxiously waiting to hear whether the Victorian Government will allocate funding to the program in the state budget on May 20.

The program is winding down ahead of its scheduled end on June 30, with “No Flies on Us” signage being removed throughout the region, with various resources and projects (such as tree removals from public land) already forced to cease as per the requirements of the funding agreement.

The Victorian Government has advised it has completely ceased monitoring fruit fly numbers within the program’s area.

“The discontinuation of the Area Wide Management Program and in addition the ceasing of Qfly monitoring demonstrates the lack of care from the Victorian Government regarding Qfly within the GMV [Goulburn Murray Valley],” Cobram & District Fruit Growers Association president Adrian Conti said.

“The Victorian Government appears to be sweeping the problem under the carpet — out of sight, out of mind.”

He said the program had limits in its jurisdiction and required the support of the government for success.

“We manage our farms, but we cannot manage the Victorian Government’s public land which is a breeding ground for Qfly,” Mr Conti said.

“We also cannot manage the urban areas where backyard growers are also creating a breeding ground for Qfly.

“Government owned and urban residential land is completely out of the control of commercial fruit growers yet we are being punished for it.”

The Victorian Government said it had allocated $14.3 million to manage fruit fly, but the program said it had only received $4.5 million since 2017.

The industry is requesting $1 million each year from the Victorian Government to fund the proven fruit fly control program within the Goulburn and Murray valleys.

“One million dollars per annum to protect $1.6 billion per annum is simple mathematics,” Mr Conti said.

Country News contacted the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action to ask for comment from Agriculture Minister Ros Spence.

Questions included:

In response, an Agriculture Victoria spokesperson said: “We have invested $14.3 million to empower industry and home gardeners to embed fruit fly management in their communities — improving community and landholders’ understanding of how to best manage fruit flies on their property, placing them in a good position to limit the impact of the pest moving forward”.

“We’re continuing to support businesses with fruit fly management education, research into new control methods and surveillance to detect incursions of exotic fruit fly species to prevent establishment in Victoria,” the spokesperson said.

Mr Conti dismissed any suggestion that impacted industries would continue to trade effectively and exports would increase despite fruit fly numbers.

“Currently with the program we haven’t had any hindrance on trade but we are mindful of if we don’t have the program going forward, then [there’s] potential risk to jeopardise any trade in the future,” he said.

Last year, the Goulburn Murray Valley Area Wide Management Program was independently analysed by internationally renowned fruit fly expert Andrew Jessup.

In the report, the best-case scenario was the region would experience an increase of more than 205 per cent in fruit fly numbers and a worst-case scenario of more than 600 per cent by 2026, without an effective area wide management program.

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Sunday, 1st December 2024

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