Plea for fruit treatment fix

Growers losing faith in system

TASMANIAN fruit growers are losing trust in the current fruit fly fumigation system and are calling on the State Government to fix it.

The concerns have been raised in the wake of the most recent fruit fly larvae detection, in a grapefruit which had been through an approved treatment facility in Victoria.

The latest detection was made by a member of the public, who had purchased the fruit from a grocery store in South Hobart.

Fruit Gowers Tasmania president Nic Hansen said this latest incident raises serious questions about the efficacy of methyl bromide, which is currently being used to fumigate incoming fruit and vegetables.

“When you look at the world’s best practice for treatment, it doesn’t include methyl bromide, it’s all irradiation,” he said. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but maybe the Government needs to consider that no fruit comes into the state unless it had been irradiated.”

While the on-ground response to the current incursion in northern Tasmania is making progress, Mr Hansen said the issue of infected fruit getting into the state needs to be sorted out.

He said unlike methyl bromide, which can impaact fruit quality, irradiation treatment is highly effective, safe and will not affect the product quality.

At present there is not sufficient capacity for irradiation treatment for all fruit and vegetable products entering the state, but construction of a large facility under way in Melbourne could be a future option.

Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association president Wayne Johnston said the latest detection shows how vulnerable the state’s biosecurity system is when relying on interstate agencies.

“I guess it raises questions as the reliance of Tasmania on other states to do the biosecurity on their end,” he said.

Biosecurity Tasmania general manager Lloyd Klumpp said finding larvae inside imported fruit was not unusual and happens on average two or three times a year.

He said systems in the national pathway will now be investigated to find out where the problem occurred.

“No system is perfect, you’ll always get some sort of leakage through these systems,” he said. “But the whole event demonstrates the national system is under pressure.”

He said irradiation couldn’t be 100 per cent guaranteed either, but would be examined.