FRUIT growers in northern Victoria will meet the agriculture minister next week to urge the government to continue funding the fight against Queensland fruit fly.
Representatives from Fruit Growers Victoria will discuss the future of combating the pest with Ros Spence at State Parliament on November 27.
As reported last week, the Victorian Government will terminate funding for managing the pest from June next year.
A spokesperson for Agriculture Victoria said the government had invested $14.28 million to provide community and regional grants under the Victorian Fruit Fly Strategy to empower industry and home gardeners to embed fruit fly management in their communities.
The funding included the removal of unwanted backyard fruit trees from residential properties in towns such as Kerang and Swan Hill.
“Regulations are no longer in place in the Greater Sunraysia region now that Queensland fruit fly is established,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said Agriculture Victoria was in the process of removing quarantine bins and signs.
“The Victorian Government will continue to support trade for the quality produce coming out of the region and maintain awareness of Queensland fruit fly management for all members of the community,” the spokesperson said.
The government said as fruit fly was now an established pest in Victoria, its management was now the responsibility of landowners and growers.
Fruit Growers Victoria grower services manager Michael Crisera confirmed the government was “backing right off” fighting the pest insect.
“There’s nothing allocated to continue with the area wide management programs for the management of fruit fly,” he told The Guardian.
“We are keen to catch up with the agriculture minister to see what we can do to hopefully try and get some funding to keep it in place.
“Orchardists will do their bit on-farm to try and control fruit fly, but we have no jurisdiction on what happens in towns.
“We find orchards near townships or urban areas really struggle with the pressure from fruit fly that comes out of a bad year and when people aren’t doing any of their own management.”
Mr Crisera said the management programs had enabled field officers to target hot spots and communicate effectively to residents.
“I think the Victorian Government’s pretty much abandoning the horticulture industry,” he said.
“For something that’s so important for our trade, the number one issue for trade is fruit fly.”
Growers shouldn’t be expected to foot the bill, Mr Crisera said.
“We understand people do what they can on-farm, but it’s very difficult to fund urban area control,” he said.
“Back in the day when fruit fly was declared an exotic pest, it was very costly for the State Government … was running into the tens of millions of dollars every year.
“And now this funding is probably what represents $1 million dollars a year.
“It’s not obviously trying to eradicate the pest, but trying to have some control in some of the urban areas that are close to some of the major fruit growing regions.”
The free removal of unwanted fruit trees was a “great success” and an example of how important the local program was in Sunraysia, according to Mr Crisera.
“A lot of people that have houses that they may be renting, they may not want to have a fruit tree to look after,” he said.
“We can get them removed and help reduce the pressure.
“And again, the message is always, if people want to have fruit trees in their backyard, they need to maintain … pruning them, make sure they pick the fruit off them, don’t let the fruit hang and rot and let fruit fly build up.”
Mr Crisera said the plan of attack was to push the government to continue investing.
“I think it’s a small investment for what’s at risk,” he said.
“We’re just going to keep trying to really push that … some of the work that the coordinators have done over time is important.”
Bob each way on pest
MEMBER for Murray Plains Peter Walsh says he’s confused about the future of the fruit fly control point in Kerang.
Mr Walsh said on one hand the government said the fruit fly was now endemic and its control points, such as the one on the Murray Valley Highway, were defunct and being decommissioned.
“But unless some community-minded citizen intervened on the government’s behalf, how come these bins, which have been tipped over and without the lids for weeks and weeks, are suddenly all standing up again after I raised the matter in the local paper?” he said.
“Is this the government having two bob each way?
“I mean, if they are being removed, and they did send someone here, why not just take them away, why set them all up again.
“Please explain.”
