Hosted by the National Fruit Fly Council (NFFC), the free online event, running for three hours on three consecutive days, will draw on a range of industry experts, government representatives, researchers, and growers to discuss fruit fly challenges and identify priorities for improved management of the pest.

“In terms of fruit fly this season's been an extremely challenging one, with heavy infestations across Australia and outbreaks in some of our pest free areas,” NFFC manager Christina Cook said.

“So now is the time to get these issues on the table and have some important national discussion about better coordination and cooperation for our future.”

“Essentially, fruit fly affected industries make up about half of Australia's $13 billion horticulture sector.

“So, any outbreaks of fruit fly or any changes to the distribution of fruit fly in Australia will disrupt trade to our important export markets, and also to domestic markets across Australia,” Ms Cook said.

The overarching aim of the interactive symposium is to workshop several key fruit fly challenges and seek to identify priorities for building future national success.

Its theme, Building Future National Success, highlights the common goal among the 40 speakers participating.

The speakers, comprising researchers, industry representatives, regulators, grower representatives, and growers, are being brought together to discuss possible solutions to managing a pest that poses a serious threat to a wide range of fruit and vegetable crops and access to markets.

“This is the first symposium, since 2018,” Ms Cook said. “And we're really trying to use it as an interactive discussion. So it's not just a talk fest: it's an opportunity for people to provide input to the national discussion.”

The two species that threaten the profitability and sustainability of Australia’s horticultural industries are the Mediterranean fruit fly and Queensland fruit fly.

Mediterranean fruit fly, is only established in parts of Western Australia where it is subject to control and containment to stop it spreading into the eastern states.

Queensland fruit fly is established in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and the Northern Territory. South Australia and Tasmania are free from both flies.

These two species can restrict access to domestic and international markets and require costly in-field and post-harvest treatments.

They can attack a wide range of host plants across many regions in Australia and a problem in one crop or an urban area can easily affect other crops in the region.

Therefore, a coordinated approach to managing these pests is paramount.

Fruit fly is estimated to cost the Australian horticulture sector A$300m per annum in lost production and access to markets.

The economic value, together with the fact that fruit fly doesn’t respect state boundaries, has prompted an integrated national approach to protect Australian horticulture and maintain and enhance market access.

In 2019 the Federal Government announced it was providing $6.5 million towards the Strengthening Australia’s Fruit Fly System Research Program.

This has been matched by State and territory governments bringing total funding to $13 million in researching fruit fly trade and production issues.

To register for this free online event, go to the National Fruit Fly Symposium registration link at:

https://preventfruitfly.com.au/symposium/

For further information:

Christina Cook Manager

National Fruit Fly Council 0472 868 282