Sonya Broughton

Border Control/Biosecurity

Key tools for managing fruit flies are pest free areas (PFA)

PFAs are recognised by various premium

markets:

• Tasmania

• Riverland in South Australia

• Western Australia free of native tropical

fruit flies (Qfly)

• Ord River Irrigation Area (free of Medfly)

• eastern states free of Medfly

• Ti Tree (NT) – Tennant Creek to Alice

Spring

• PFAs no longer exist in NSW and Vic• too expensive to maintain PFAs in NSW

and Vic

• 2010-2011 wettest two-year period

(record)

‒ >120 outbreaks, >27,000 Qfly in pest free

area

‒ Withdrew legislative support in 2013

(NSW, Victoria)

Higher than usual number of fruit fly

outbreaks

• Tasmania

• metropolitan Adelaide

• Western Australia (Qfly in Fremantle - one fly, Como – x flies)

• multiple and regular detections of fruit flies in the Riverland,

• high numbers of fruit flies detected in Sunraysia

Reasons

• inadequacies in managing fruit flies in endemic regions,

• lack of effective application of producer based measures e.g. orchard

hygiene, baiting,

• inconsistent treatment protocols across jurisdictions and inconsistencies

with internationally recognised protocols,

• lack of nationally agreed fruit fly management protocols, and associated

assurance and verification procedures along the supply chain,

• failure in treatments (e.g. fumigation) of some fruit fly host material

entering PFAs.

Review of methyl bromide fumigation –

SA/Tas (ICA-04)

• Treatment failure occurred between 10 and 15.9°C

• SA and WA revoked import conditions - QFF host produce must be treated at a pulp

temperature of not less than 16°C. QFF host produce treated at a pulp temperature of less

than 16oC will be rejected and directed for additional treatment or export out of the state

• Tas revoked import conditions – treated at a temperature of no less than 16°C.

Review of methyl bromide fumigation –

SA/Tas

Q. Can we again look at the fumigation process undertaken by the Department for fruit and

have the audit processes explained. We are concerned that there is a coincidence that

these outbreaks are so close to the location of where most of the fumigation of fruit and

vegetable takes place. We are currently fielding reports to us that fruit is unloaded in open air

prior to treatment.

• DPIRD does not undertake fumigation. This is carried out by a licenced contractor.

• Produce is inspected prior to fumigation for fruit fly larvae – if present, produce is subject to

destruction, re-export, fumigation and re-inspection

• Fumigation on arrival – Canningvale, Cockburn, Bibra Lake

• Highly unlikely that fruit fly is entering WA via fruit from eastern states.

• 17 fruit fly traps around Canningvale – 0 detections

• Detections are at single points over several areas

19 additional traps

Is there any consideration of changing the fumigation protocols from

post border to pre-border?

• No – it is up to the grower/exporter if they fumigate before or after shipment

• The quarantine risk from fruit fly is regarded to be the same whether it is fumigated before

or after arrival

It is the opinion of producers that if the correct levels of fumigation

chemical were being applied though-out the containers, it would

affect the shelf life of these products. This does not seem to be

evident in the market place.

• Fumigation can affect shelf life, but it this should not be evident in the market

place unless produce has been held for some time

We do recognise that one of the solutions would be to restrict trade, but we

are aware that this may compromise our existing trade to the East Coast.

• WA is a signatory to the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity

(IGAB)

• WA (and Australia) must also comply with the WTO agreement – no

unnecessary barriers to trade

• Article 20 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) allows

governments to act on trade in order to protect human, animal or plant life or

health, provided they do not discriminate or use this as disguised protectionism.

• measures to protect plant biosecurity must be based on science and

least restrictive to trade, whilst achieving ALOP (Appropriate Level Of

Protection)

Low dose MB to China for nectarines

• work was funded by the Summerfruit levy (Hort Innovation)

• Summerfruit Aust. (SAL) didn’t request work on Medfly

• Victoria had lost area freedom so SAL was only interested in QFF.

• China accepted Medfly treatments in the USDA APHIS treatment manual.

Treatment for Medfly is T108-a For Apple, apricot, avocado cherry, grape,

kiwi, nectarines, peach, pear, plum, quince.

• Murdoch Uni has a project for cold and low dose MB including some

stonefruit/apples

• ask Hort Innovation what is the status of that research

Thank you

Visit dpird.wa.gov.au

Important disclaimer

The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional

Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of

negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it.

Copyright © Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, 2018