Fruit Fly

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:04): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Primary Industries a question about the very serious consequences of fruit fly outbreaks in Adelaide.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: Queensland fruit fly has been detected in backyards in Glynde and Campbelltown, resulting in heavy-handed government red tape now threatening to destroy the livelihoods of our major apple, pear and strawberry producers, as well as organic fruit producers in the Adelaide Hills—farms that do not have fruit fly. Just like they did with some tomato growers, PIRSA's kneejerk overreach is already starting to bite painfully hard. PIRSA has imposed a 15-kilometre radius restriction zone from those outbreaks, which takes in the Hills and extends to the coast, and which will be in place until at least the end of April.

I met with worried producers last week who told me that severe restrictions on the movement of their fruit and time-consuming paperwork to certify each lot of fruit leaving their farms is strangling them. PIRSA is also telling them their fruit will need to be fumigated, which one large sixth-generation grower does not want to do because he does not want his fruit contaminated with methyl bromide, a highly toxic chemical.

It goes without saying, fumigating is totally unacceptable to the organic growers. Here is where it gets ridiculous: while these growers can still send their fruit interstate, which costs them more, they cannot sell it anywhere within this large yellow zone, but, for some reason only a PIRSA bureaucrat can explain, they can give it away for free. It seems fruit fly can distinguish between what is paid and free fruit.

One distressed organic raspberry and strawberry farmer was threatened with prosecution by PIRSA's Stasi-like inspectors at the farmers' market for simply having a sign inviting customers to consider making a tiny donation for his farm whilst still giving away his produce for free. He says he will now have to lay off his workers.

Meanwhile, a commercial strawberry farmer risks losing hundreds of thousands of dollars if he decides to replant and says he may have to dump tonnes of fruit. Growers are also being told they will have to install hundreds more fruit fly traps on their properties and monitor them. Producers want the zone restricted to 7.5 kilometres and are urging the government to come up with the $60 million in funding they have been promised for an irradiation unit at the Pooraka SA Produce Market. My questions to the minister are:

1. Will she now act in her state's best interests and meet with her fellow ministers to have national protocols changed regarding these restrictive zones?

2. Can she explain why it is okay to give fruit away but not sell it in these zones; and what is wrong with seeking unspecified donations?

3. Will the government now do what happens in places like California and have regular and widespread releases of sterile fruit flies across our metropolitan area to protect our fragile fruit fly free status before it's too late, as it is in the Riverland?

4. When will the Treasurer stump up the money that is now urgently needed to establish an irradiation facility at the SA Produce Market in Pooraka?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:08): I thank the honourable member for his question and the opportunity to clarify some of the misleading statements that might have been made. It's important to note that under the Australian national fruit fly management protocol there are specific requirements that need to be undertaken in the event of a fruit fly outbreak, which are beyond the control of individual states—that's because it is a national protocol.

There have been, for a number of years, agreed movement pathways for commercial fruit movement under outbreak conditions. These pathways are agreed with the commonwealth and the other jurisdictions and they include interstate certification assurance (ICA), and control arrangement (CA) programs that require documentation and accreditation. South Australia's pest-free status and the movement of fruit that comes from its $1.3 billion industry depends on complying with these requirements from interstate jurisdictions and the commonwealth.

Commercial produce grown within the red and yellow suspension zones must be treated and accredited to prevent the further spread of fruit fly before it leaves those zones. The size of the zone, such as the 15-kilometre yellow suspension zone, is set by the national protocol and the Department of Primary Industries and Regions has pursued this topic many times with the commonwealth and the other jurisdictions. However, to date we have not been able to get unanimous agreement. I note that unanimous agreement is what is needed to change these national protocols.

At a meeting last year, the case was put—as I understand it, by South Australia it was put very strongly and very well—but unfortunately we did not get unanimous agreement, and therefore we have to live with the national protocol, which is a 15-kilometre suspension zone. The irradiation facility planned to be located at the South Australian Produce Market is part of a project funded in conjunction with our government, the commonwealth, the produce markets and private investors. The South Australian Produce Market is leading the business case and development of this planned project, and I look forward to continuing to engage with them as the project continues.

In terms of sterile insect technology, when that can be used is also subject to part of the national and international protocols. It is currently being planned as part of the response activities to help eradicate not only the Glynde outbreak but also the Salisbury North outbreak. Releases of sterile flies in Adelaide occurred in August last year and will be resumed probably in March this year. However, again, we need to be guided by both the evidence and the protocols.

SIT (sterile insect technology) must be used after the other eradication tools, such as trapping, baiting and hygiene measures, and they are used to ensure the final eradication. In general we cannot use sterile insect technology as a preventative, and that is because, according to my advice, international protocols do not allow this. Personally, I think there would be a lot of benefit in being able to do so, and we will continue to work towards that end.