Motions

Mypolonga Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (11:30): I move:

That this house calls on the state government to establish Mypolonga as a fruit fly exclusion zone and commit extra funding to biosecurity measures to protect against fruit fly threats and outbreaks in South Australia.

I rise today to speak on Mypolonga being included in the Riverland fruit fly exclusion zone. In June last year I gave notice to move a private member's motion and called on the state government to include protection for the Mypolonga horticulture area.

The Mypolonga trapping grid was first established in 1991. These traps are positioned on a one-kilometre grid in horticultural production areas, and these are on a 400-metre grid within the township. At present there are 17 sites, each having three traps deployed: one to detect the Queensland fruit fly, another to detect the Mediterranean fruit fly, and the last to detect the exotic fruit fly.

During November to May, these traps are monitored on a weekly basis, and then fortnightly from June through to October. As stated in a previous speech, only one male Queensland fruit fly has been detected, which was on Friday, 26 July 2013. This is not considered an outbreak. An outbreak is only considered when one of the following three scenarios takes place: one gravid female fly is detected, one or more larvae are detected in locally grown fruit, or five male flies are trapped within one kilometre in a two-week period.

After this incident on 26 July, PIRSA (primary industries) warranted that further traps be set up within a 200-metre radius of the detection zone. After this quick implementation of extra traps, no other fruit flies were discovered. PIRSA works with producers to ensure they eliminate any potential of a fruit fly infestation in South Australia.

As part of an industry research and development project previously, the Lower Murray Horticulture Action Committee has been provided with funding from Horticulture Australia Ltd. This grant has helped fund the costs incurred from servicing the traps. It is estimated that the annual servicing cost for these traps ranges from between $15,000 to $20,000 per annum. If the fruit fly trapping grid were to be discontinued, many potential risks would follow. These include:

1. Marketing implications for local growers, particularly in accessing, processing and packaging facilities in the Riverland fruit fly exclusion zone;

2. Exposure to host produce travelling along main arterial highways passing within 10 kilometres of the Mypolonga growing area;

3. Increased tourist activities, including houseboats, river sports, paddle boats and general tourism, which may result in infested produce being brought into the area;

4. Prevailing winds potentially carrying fruit fly into the Mypolonga area, losing the protection to the back door of the Riverland;

5. Mypolonga's itinerant population, plus approximately 70 students who travel daily from the Murray Bridge area into Mypolonga to attend the local primary school; and

6. Some possible implications for accessing export markets.

In relation to accessing export markets, in 2013 when the one male Queensland fruit fly was detected, it had many implications for local growers. It was noted that many growers found difficulty when accessing both local and interstate markets as a result of the detection.

The protection from the trapping grids is vital to keep the continued status of a fruit fly free zone in Mypolonga, and in the past a small group of owners have committed to a voluntary per hectare contribution in an attempt to maintain the grid. This voluntary contribution is not enough to fully fund the upkeep of the traps and, as stated by the former minister for agriculture, food and fisheries, the Hon. Gail Gago in another place, the Mypolonga horticulture industry will receive no funding from the Weatherill Labor government in the fight against fruit fly.

If there were to be a fruit fly infestation in South Australia, it could possibly devastate the $675 million fresh fruit and vegetable industry. At present, the Mypolonga region has access to all domestic Australian markets. This is due to South Australia's fruit fly free status. However, due to Mypolonga not being included in the Riverland fruit fly exclusion zone, it has the potential for Mypolonga to be excluded from export markets that place special recognition on the Riverland fruit fly exclusion zone. This means that access to overseas markets for this production area is restricted due to its not being a fruit fly free exclusion zone.

I would like again to acknowledge the support, technical advice and assistance that PIRSA is providing and has provided to the region. Given the information above, it is clear that Mypolonga is geographically important to the Riverland horticulture industry and metropolitan growers, yet we still have a government that continues to leave the Mypolonga horticulture industry dangling.

South Australians are proud to be the only state or territory that remains fruit fly free on the mainland. If an outbreak was to take place in Mypolonga, it is only a short distance from the fruit fly exclusion zone. It is calculated that the government invests about $5 million a year to maintain a fruit fly free status in the exclusion zone. The government needs to remember that this could be decimated if an outbreak were to occur in the Mypolonga area.

In closing, I urge the state government to extend the fruit fly exclusion zone by a very minimal distance. This would be beneficial not only for Mypolonga growers but for South Australia as a fruit fly free state. If the government does not make this minor change, it is putting the entire state's horticulture industry at risk. I commend the motion.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:37): I too rise to support the member for Hammond's motion and of course support the idea that we should include the Mypolonga horticulture zone as part of the area that has fruit fly free status in South Australia. I think it is a critical building block to again reassure our international markets, our export opportunities, to have Mypolonga as part of the Riverland area of freedom exclusion zone and it is a critical amendment for the biosecurity of this state.

Too often we hear the Premier, the agriculture minister, the trade minister—every politician in this place—talking about opportunities and how our export economy is going to be one of the saviours of the South Australian economy. For too long we have heard a lot of political rhetoric and a lot of political spin about how we are going to benefit from this clean, green image, yet we see the government do little about supporting it, little about just putting in some extra funding to make sure that this vital piece of international acknowledgement is upheld.

I know that for a long time the good people of Mypolonga have funded their own project with some help from PIRSA, and I think that is widely recognised, but I want to touch on the importance of fruit fly in my electorate. The member for Hammond mentioned the economy in relation to fruit and vegetables, horticulture and wine and that it was looking after about a $677 million industry. I can assure you that as of this year, with commodity prices looking much stronger, we could be supporting an industry of around $1 billion in the upcoming financial year.

The small cost of including the Mypolonga area and keeping it as part of the fruit fly free exclusion zone would send a vital message to our international markets, particularly in relation to Mypolonga horticulture produce because much of it does travel to the Riverland to be processed, to be packed, and then put into a logistic chain so that it is sent off to markets, sent off to ports and sent off to the airport for our international markets. So, again, I think it is critically important that it be undertaken.

I work very closely with Biosecurity SA, making sure that people throw out fruit from their vehicles into the biosecurity rubbish bins. I do note that Biosecurity SA is a bit slow on moving with installing deposit bins on the Mypolonga to Mannum road and the Swan Reach to Loxton road. I think that is certainly alarming, but I think that potentially it could be looking at ways of reducing cost by implementing the fruit fly area freedom into Mypolonga and complementing what the Riverland already holds dear to its exporting heart.

We have heard all about fruit fly outbreaks in South Australia, both from the west with the Mediterranean fruit flies, from the east and from the north with the Queensland fruit flies, but it is incredibly important that we uphold and maintain our biosecurity measures, particularly with the pressure from all these neighbouring regions and states because, again, it is putting at risk the advantage we have with respect to our export markets. It is giving some surety that we want to remain fruit fly free.

I think that the current government has realised just how important this is to South Australia. I have been a long-time campaigner with respect to keeping the state fruit fly free and keeping our roadblocks open. I know that, in previous years, we had ministers who wanted to put roadblocks down to business hours. I think that that was absolutely outrageous, but common sense prevailed and we now see that those 24/7 roadblocks are upheld. We see people coming into the Riverland region with fruit and vegetables without receipts, and I urge them to think about the risk they are putting on a huge economy and export industry that is vital to have that fruit fly free tag upon it.

I know that my time is almost up, but I do applaud the member for Hammond's good paper; I think that he has had a little bit of help along the way in getting it up. What I would like to say is that I would like to see common sense prevail. I would like the minister for agriculture to come in here and make a contribution and just acknowledge how important being fruit fly free is; and I think that, by putting another feather in our cap and another arrow in our bow, we will make sure that we uphold our clean, green image, and I think it will be an asset to South Australia and it is an asset to our international image.

Mr GEE (Napier) (11:43): I move to amend the motion as follows:

Delete all the words after 'this house' and substitute the following words:

recognises the importance of the Mypolonga fruit fly trapping grid and the other important biosecurity measures the government uses to protect against fruit fly threats and outbreaks in South Australia

The new motion is to read:

This house recognises the importance of the Mypolonga fruit fly trapping grid and the other important biosecurity measures the government uses to protect against fruit fly threats and outbreaks in South Australia.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: We will be getting a copy of that. Will the honourable member be speaking to his amendment?

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! We are getting a copy of the amendment for members, and I have asked the member for Napier to speak to his amendment, which he should do in silence. The member for Napier.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Be quiet!

Mr GEE: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Fruit fly is the world's most economically significant horticultural pest. Two significant species, Mediterranean fruit fly and Queensland fruit fly, are present in Australia. South Australia remains the only mainland state or territory which is free of fruit fly. Fruit fly area freedom provides South Australia's horticultural industries with significant benefits as a result of not having to treat produce during production and also by providing access to fruit fly sensitive markets without the cost of pre and/or post harvest chemical or cold storage treatments.

The cost of maintaining area freedom is significant, and the South Australian government invests around $5 million annually to keep out both Queensland fruit fly and Mediterranean fruit fly. The Victorian and New South Wales governments have both deregulated Queensland fruit fly in those states, and this places additional pest pressure on South Australia. Fruit fly can only practically enter South Australia as maggots in infested fruit and fruiting vegetables.

The government invests in a ring of protection around our state and around the Riverland production area to stop fruit fly from impacting on our rich production areas and backyard gardens. The ring of protection includes static quarantine stations, random roadblocks, a statewide trapping grid, a fruit fly hotline, community awareness programs, signage and fruit disposal bins. The South Australian government is investing $3 million in the Sterile Insect Technology facility and research initiatives at Port Augusta and has support from research partners for a further $22 million in research and development investment over the next five years.

Primary Industries and Regions SA maintains a fruit-fly trapping grid across much of South Australia, comprising around 3,200 trap sites in metropolitan Adelaide, the South Australian Riverland, Ceduna, Port Pirie and Port Augusta. The trapping grid is an important measure in maintaining South Australia's status as the only mainland state recognised as being fruit fly free. It complements other government measures to prevent fruit fly incursions, which include static and mobile quarantine stations, an extensive community awareness campaign, and regulatory control over import of host produce.

The Mypolonga trapping grid was established in 1991 and has always been funded by industry. PIRSA provides in-kind support by way of materials, technical advice and assistance with data management. There are up to 15 orchardists growing potential fruit fly hosts in the Mypolonga area, with around 100 hectares planted to citrus trees. Traps are situated on a one kilometre grid in the horticulture production area and on a 400 metre grid within the township. The permanent Mypolonga trapping grid consists of 17 sites, with each site having three traps deployed: one for Queensland fruit fly, one to detect Mediterranean fruit fly and one to detect other exotic fruit fly. Traps are monitored on a weekly basis during the period November to May and fortnightly during the period June to October.

I am advised that the Mypolonga community has recently been successful in applying for industry funding to continue servicing the Mypolonga trapping grid for the next three years until June 2017. The Mypolonga fruit fly trapping grid is not generally recognised as being part of the Riverland fruit fly exclusion zone; however, New Zealand does accept Mypolonga as being part of the pest-free area for export purposes. A single male Queensland fruit fly was detected in a permanent fruit-fly trap in the Mypolonga trapping grid on Friday 26 July 2013. This detection did not constitute a fruit-fly outbreak. Isolated detections of Queensland fruit fly do occur from time to time.

This year to date, there have been two fruit-fly outbreaks declared in metropolitan Adelaide, in the West Croydon area between Port Road and Torrens Road, and the Hillcrest area along North East Road, east of OG Road. The response involved baiting within a 1.5 kilometre quarantine area for a number of weeks, applying a 15 kilometre suspension area for commercial produce, and at the completion of baiting the release of sterile fruit flies within the quarantine zone to complete the eradication program. Both of these quarantine areas and associated restrictions have now been lifted.

In conclusion, I commend this amended motion to the house by maintaining South Australia's fruit-fly free status. It protects South Australia's $851 million horticultural industries, provides growers with a $3 to $4 per case premium, and supports the government's priority: premium food and wine from our clean environment.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (11:49): In no way at all do I support this amended motion, as put up by the member for Napier. I think that that the government is just missing the reality here, that Mypolonga and the horticulture area around Mypolonga is the backdoor to the Riverland. They use Riverland packing houses and processors and I believe that unless the Mypolonga area is brought into the fruit fly exclusion zone we could have a breakout sooner rather than later.

It is interesting to see that the government is quite willing to spend $5 million on the exclusion zone and would not have to spend a lot more just to include the Mypolonga growers. It seems to be a throwback to when they were protecting the former member for Chaffey. There is just no equity in this. This state has fruit fly free status and it is not assisted by a government that will not match reality in what the Mypolonga growers' needs are. That is fine if they have negotiated some industry funding and government support until 2017, but in reality what should happen, without a very big hit on the budget, is that Mypolonga be included in the fruit fly and Riverland exclusion area.

I totally reject the amendment. It basically rejects the whole principle of my motion to the house. In saying that, I would also like to note the help and support from the Mypolonga horticulture growers in supporting me in putting this motion to the house, as was indicated by the member for Chaffey. I commend the original motion.

The house divided on the amendment:

Ayes 21

Noes 17

Majority 4

Amendment thus carried; motion as amended carried.