Managing Fruit Fly - Regional Grants Program
Regional communities across Victoria's many horticultural regions will be better equipped to actively manage fruit flies thanks to a $6.7 million funding boost from the Victorian Government.
Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford announced the funding today at an orchard in Ardmona to develop and deliver the Managing Fruit Fly - Regional Grants Program.
Fruit flies pose a significant threat to Victoria's growing horticulture industry, disrupting production and trade worldwide. Species such as Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) are present in Victoria and need effective management to reduce their impact.
Administered by Agriculture Victoria, the grants form a key part of the Victorian Government's Fruit Fly Action Plan.
It is anticipated fruit fly trap rollouts, urban tree removal programs, pest monitoring and school or sporting club engagement could all be supported through the program.
Ms Pulford also confirmed the appointment of Victoria’s first state-wide fruit fly coordinator Cathy Mansfield, who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years with a strong focus on pest management, and is based in the Heart of the Goulburn Valley at Tatura.
Regional communities will be able to actively manage fruit fly in their own local areas through the establishment of three new regional coordinator groups, supported by the state-wide coordinator.
Each group will be led by key horticulture industry experts and will work closely with community groups, organisations and institutions to improve fruit fly management in commercial orchards while improving international market access and trade opportunities.
Victoria's horticultural industry has a farm gate value of around $2.4 billion and accounts for 52 per cent of Australia's horticultural exports. International trade of horticulture products from Victoria was valued at $909 million in 2014–15.
Fruit Fly Action Plan
To improve the management of fruit fly the horticulture industries, local communities and government must work together. To help coordinate this collaborative approach, a new five-year action plan will provide a framework to link state-wide and regional action.
To oversee the delivery of the action plan a state-wide coordinator will be appointed. An advisory committee to oversee the delivery of the plan will also be established in addition to regional governance groups in key horticulture areas. The regional governance groups will develop and implement regional action plans in alignment with the state-wide plan.
The department has produced an overview of the new action plan:
Summary of Managing fruit fly in Victoria - Action Plan 2015-2020 [PDF File - 709.8 KB]
Summary of Managing fruit fly in Victoria - Action Plan 2015-2020 [MS Word Document - 30.0 KB]
The full action plan is also available:
Managing fruit fly in Victoria - Action Plan 2015-2020 [PDF File - 1.3 MB]
Managing fruit fly in Victoria - Action Plan 2015-2020 [RTF File - 693.2 KB]
The development of this action plan was via a collaborative process with community, industry and government partners. This approach kicked off on July 1, 2015, with a state-wide forum held at the department's Attwood facility. Minister Pulford media release - Market Access Vital To Five Year Fruit Fly Action Plan
Drafts of the plan were then put out for public consultation in September 2015 to help further refine the approach and ensure all relevant parties could have their say. Minister Pulford media release - Feedback Sought On Draft Five Year Fruit Fly Action Plan
