A long-term plan to keep the state free of fruit fly will include investigating the risk of climate change and keeping up ongoing engagement with stakeholders.
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On Thursday, Primary Industries Minister Jeremy Rockliff launched a new strategy aimed at keeping Tasmania’s international status as a fruit fly free state.
The new Maintaining Tasmania’s freedom from fruit fly strategy flows on to 2050 and aims to keep Tasmania safe ahead of changing climates, tourism growth and increases in fruit imports and exports.
For the first five years of the strategy, research will be undertaken to look into the fly’s lifecycle and behaviours in Tasmanian conditions and is set to be modelled against projected changes in climate.
Mr Rockliff said the strategy also included ongoing stakeholder engagement, alternative preventative treatments for fruit fly host material, and mitigating risk through a mainland sterile insect technique program
“Tasmanian fruit exports of $50 million, in 2015-16, would be significantly impacted if fruit fly established in Tasmania,” he said.
“About three-quarters of this value comes from key fruit fly-sensitive markets in Asia.
“[The new strategy] keeps Tasmania ahead of the game and ahead of the risk of fruit fly so that our fruit industry can continue to invest and grow with confidence, creating jobs in regional areas.”
The strategy also hopes to undertake Tasmanian-specific Queensland and Mediterranean fruit fly temperature studies, implement a digital documentation webserver system, and strengthen partnership and co-regulatory arrangements.