The Hodgman Liberal Government has today released a long-term fruit fly free strategy to protect Tasmania’s brand and export markets.
This will reinforce access to premium export markets for Tasmanian fruit through strong biosecurity, which is a key part of the Government’s comprehensive Agri-Food Plan and our vision to grow the value of agriculture to $10 billion.
The current biosecurity arrangements are working and for several decades Tasmania has successfully maintained its international status as an area free of Queensland fruit fly and Mediterranean fruit fly.
However, we need to keep it this way in coming decades in the face of challenges posed by a changing climate, and increased tourism and fruit export and import volumes.
The first five-years of the strategy, which has been developed in collaboration with fruit growers and the industry, includes research into the pests’ lifecycle and behaviour under Tasmanian conditions. This data will then be modelled against projected climate change.
The strategy also includes:
Tasmanian fruit exports of $50 million (in 2015-16) would be significantly impacted if fruit fly established in Tasmania. About three-quarters of this value comes from key fruit fly-sensitive markets in Asia.
This long-term strategy helps protect our continued access to these premium markets and Tasmania’s brand for high quality.
It 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.
Copies of “Maintaining Tasmania’s freedom from fruit fly: A strategy for the future 2017-2050” is available from the DPIPWE website www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au
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