There are currently 32 Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) outbreaks being managed by PIRSA in the Riverland. Since February’s update, two new outbreaks have been declared and a number of outbreak boundaries extended.
The earliest possible quarantine release date has extended to 16 November 2023. This date reflects that fruit flies discovered in autumn can overwinter and survive during cooler months. There is, however, the likelihood that an entire 12-month period without detections must elapse before outbreak restrictions can be lifted, in line with current management principles.
New Qfly outbreaks declared by PIRSA since Vinehealth’s February 2023 update are:
- ‘Cadell’ – advised by PIRSA 17 March
- ‘Murtho C’ – advised by PIRSA 15 March
- ‘Winkie’ – advised by PIRSA 6 March
- ‘Lyrup’ – advised by PIRSA 2 March
Extensions to current Qfly Outbreak Areas since Vinehealth’s February 2023 update are:
- ‘Monash A’ and ‘Monash B’ – latest extensions advised 15 Mar
- ‘Barmera’ – latest extension advised 7 March
- ‘Bookpurnong’ – latest extension advised 2 March
Vinehealth continues to assist industry around fruit fly by:
- Attending weekly briefings from PIRSA to stay abreast of the management of the outbreaks and to provide industry perspective into communications and management.
- Sending advice texts or emails to impacted vineyard owners within 24 hours of each new outbreak or extension to a current outbreak is advised by PIRSA.
- Acting as a conduit between industry and PIRSA to assist industry to obtain tailored movement requirement information.
- Maintaining a range of current fruit fly maps on our website to help you visualise the current fruit fly affected areas. You can also use PIRSA’s interactive fruit fly map to confirm which fruit fly zone your vineyard is in.
Why is Vinehealth involved in fruit fly?
Vinehealth maintains a Register of all vineyards in South Australia. This is a unique asset for the grape and wine industry, and includes information on location, variety, rootstock, year planted and ownership details.
One of the roles of Vinehealth is to use this Register to support industry and PIRSA to manage any requirements related to pest outbreaks affecting the state’s growers. This includes any pest or disease that can cause significant impact on the health of grapevines, and includes the current fruit fly outbreaks.