Welcome to the winter edition of our Prevent Fruit Fly Newsletter.

The past few months have been busy and productive, culminating in a number of changes to the National Fruit Fly Council (NFFC). We express our sincere gratitude to a number of long-standing members finishing their tenure on the Council. Their contributions have been invaluable over many years. We also welcome new members to the Council, Executive Committee, and our recently convened Research Working Group.

Recently, we also said farewell to Chris O’Connor who worked on the National Fruit Fly Engagement and Extension project and played a broader communications role in the Council. Thankfully Chris hasn’t moved far away, having taken on a new role leading a key project within Plant Health Australia (PHA) in relation to e-certification systems, supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, South Australia (PIRSA).

Work has commenced on reviewing the collective progress and impact of investments across our national fruit fly system over the past decade. The learnings from this will inform our strategic review moving forward. We will shortly be sharing more on the upcoming development of our 2026-35 National Fruit Fly Strategy, with a series of webinars and workshops planned for the fourth quarter of 2024, in which we will explore key strategic issues.

We have recently started working on an updated economic analysis to provide us with a baseline understanding of the impact of fruit flies on Australia. This work will enhance our understanding of the costs and broader impact of fruit flies across the system. This will also enable us to focus future investments on those activities that will positively impact horticultural production, market access, and trade.

Engaging growers and industry, supply chain partners, research agencies, as well as state and Commonwealth governments will be crucial to developing a collective outlook for 2035. Look out for opportunities to share your views and to learn more about what’s needed to reach our future targets.

Stuart Burgess

Manager, National Fruit Fly Council