Upper Yarra
7 Tuesday, 6 March, 2018
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A Mail News Group publication
Mail Covering the Upper Yarra Region of the Yarra Ranges Shire
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Fruit flies fears By Kath Gannaway A second confirmed identification of Queensland fruit fly in the Yarra Valley has raised the question of whether enough is being done to protect the valley from the economybusting pest. And, what role the fruit-tree growing home gardener needs to play in protecting a multimillion dollar industry that also ties into the economic value of tourism in the region. East Warburton resident Coral Reynolds said she was alerted to the threat of Queensland Fruit Fly by a campaign of advertisements warning of the potential threat to the Yarra Valley. Run by Agribusiness Yarra Valley the campaign ramped up following an earlier confirmation of the QFF on a commercial property in the Valley. Ms Reynolds contacted Agribusiness QFF Regional Co-ordinator Bronwyn Koll when she found larvae in lemons in her garden and launched immediately into the task of removing and collecting the fruit and boiling it to eliminate any chance of the infestation spreading. She said however that she was concerned that there were other fruit trees in the area, including one nearby which was infested, which were not being either inspected or the fruit removed and treated. The owner of that particular property was away and Ms Reynolds was advised there was no provision for entering onto private property to deal with the problem. Ms Koll confirmed the infestation, and in a media release advised that QFF presence in fruit or fruit growing regions can ruin efforts to grow fruit in a home gardens or orchards, and can restrict fruit trade with sensitive interstate and international markets. Ms Koll is working with industry representatives and Yarra Ranges Council on an action plan to deal with the QFF threat with a public awareness and education approach deemed to be the best way to tackle the problem. "Upper Yarra residents should look closely at their home grown produce to see if there are
Coral Reynolds acted quickly to eliminate QFF in her garden and is urging others to do the same. 178441 Picture: Kath Gannaway.
Boiling of freezing infected fruit is recommended as the best solution. Fruit should not be composted or put in rubbish bins. 178441
suspect signs of QFF such as soft fruit, sting marks, rotten fruit inside, or larvae," she said. "If fruit is found to have larvae inside it, the best course of action is to freeze or boil the fruit to kill the larvae, and stop the lifecycle." Commercial fruit growers contacted by the Mail laid the threat to the Yarra Valley's product industry firmly at the feet of the home gardener. Kevin Sanders of Sanders Orchards in Three Bridges said people in the industry had been aware of the problem posed by QFF and had strategies to deal with it. Untreated fruit spreading from residential produce posed the biggest threat, he said. Len Rayner of Rayner Orchards in Woori Yallock was less than optimistic about the ability
She said Ms Koll was currently in the process of applying for continued funding. On the need for an urgent response to situations such as the East Warburton absent property owner, Ms Liston said there was a process. "We don't have the powers to go in and just deal with something like that, there are strict definitions around what we can and cannot do, that depend on the situation," she said. A letter drop to 300 properties in East Warburton aims to ensure residents are aware of the problem in that area. Anyone who finds signs of QFF on their produce should contact Ms Koll on 0490 381 999 or qff@agribusiness-yarravalley.com to arrange a plan of action.
of government to provide sufficient resources to eradicate the pest should it get a foothold in the Yarra Valley, or the will of the home-growing public to play the role they would need to to either contain or eradicate QFF. "Talking to other growers, the backyard growers are the problem because they are not monitoring or caring; people just don't look at their trees," he said. "Farmers have the tools to control it, but backyard people just don't," said Mr Rayner who has installed hundreds of traps in his orchard. Aimee Liston, Regional Manager Plants, Chemical and Invasives with Agriculture Victoria said there were a number of strategies Ms Koll and the regional governance group were working on.
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