Turners Beach Berry Patch inventive with excess strawberries

The adult male flies were found within 200 metres of one of the sites where larvae was detected, Biosecurity Tasmania general manager Lloyd Klumpp said.

“It is an area we are already targeting in our response and has not increased the size of the infected area we are focused on,” Dr Klump said.

Fruit flies have been discovered at four sites within Tasmania in the past fortnight, but no new sites have been found since January 24.

Turners Beach fruit grower Craig Morris is working out what he can do with tonnes of ripe strawberries grown within the control zone set up around the Spreyton site.

Properties within a 15-kilometre radius of Spreyton, where fruit fly was discovered in a backyard apricot tree last week, are subject to Biosecurity Tasmania’s control zone until further notice.

As the Turners Beach Berry Patch falls within this zone fruit has not left the farm since Friday.

“This is our third day of lost production. We don’t know how much this has cost yet, but our local customers haven’t had our fruit deliveries since Friday,” Mr Morris said.

At this point in the season Turners Beach Berry Patch is picking up to three tonnes of strawberries each day, so Mr Morris is looking for ways to use the excess berries.

“We’re freezing them, making jam and ice cream, but we already have 14 tonne in the freezer,” he said.

“There are limitations on our pick-your-own berries so it’s pick what you can eat. That’s been quite comical to see how many strawberries people can eat.”

Biosecurity Tasmania is holding a fruit fly stakeholders meeting at Stony Rise, near Devonport, on Monday afternoon, which Mr Morris hopes will answer some of his operational questions.

“We’re hoping we’ll get some clarity on pick your own and our farm shop soon,” Mr Morris said.

“We’ve got to protect the others in the industry. We will refrain from selling fruit until we have a clean bill of health.”

Two biosecurity officers spent Monday checking the Turners Beach farm for signs of fruit fly and also examining 600 pieces of fruit.

These checks will continue each day, Mr Morris understands.

“Biosecurity is also looking at other possibilities to protect out fruit fly free status,” he said.

Mr Morris has seen the damage fruit fly can cause in Queensland, but has never seen any sign of the insect on his Tasmanian farm.

THE AFFECT ON TASMANIA’S BRAND

Brand Tasmania executive director Robert Heazlewood said the Tasmanian government’s fast response to suspected fruit fly incursions meant the state’s good reputation was still intact.

“It looks like we’ve got it under control and everything will probably go back to normal pretty quickly,” Mr Heazlewood said.

However, the incident was still a close call for Tasmania’s clean, green brand image.

“It is a huge reminder about how fragile our environmental protection is and we need to take advantage of that protection.”

“I don’t think there will be any lasting effects, but the investment in this industry from the private sector is massive. We need to keep everybody informed about protocols,” he said.

UPDATE FROM DPIPWE

Parks Industries, Parks, Water and Environment department staff, including Biosecurity Tasmania officers, are continuing surveillance, control actions and responding to public reports of suspected fruit fly sightings.

A department spokesman said all public reports were checked, but at this stage they had all been negative.

He praised the Tasmania community’s response to fruit fly detections and said it has been “fantastic vigilance from the community”.

Fruit and vegetable imports from mainland Australia are not affected by Biosecurity Tasmania’s control zone but are subject to the usual entry requirements prior to entry.

“DPIPWE is continuing to work with the industry to identify ways of mitigating impacts,” the spokesman said.

Entomology has confirmed Queensland fruit fly at the first site on Flinders Island and testing is continuing on the larvae from the remaining three sites.

Fruit fly larvae look like blowfly maggots and are usually easy to see in the fruit flesh.

People are required by law to report any signs of fruit fly on their property to the Biosecurity Operations Centre on 6165 3774.

More information about fruit fly can be found at the department’s website: dpipwe.tas.gov.au/biosecurity-tasmania/plant-biosecurity/pests-and-diseases/fruit-fly