By Andrew Routley – Routley Family Orchard
For years, Queensland Fruit Fly management has focused on responding to an immediate and growing threat.
Growers understand the challenge all too well. Every season brings decisions about monitoring, control measures, market access requirements and protecting fruit quality. The cost of getting it wrong can be significant.
But perhaps the most important question facing Victoria’s horticultural industry today is not how we respond to Queensland Fruit Fly.
It is how we get ahead of it.
That is why the conversation around the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) deserves attention.
The Cobram SIT trial demonstrated that innovative science can play a meaningful role in suppressing fruit fly populations when integrated with broader management programs such as Area Wide Management. The trial achieved reductions in fruit fly populations exceeding 80 per cent and provided valuable evidence for industry and government alike.
Importantly, the value of the Cobram trial is not that it answered every question.
Its value is that it demonstrated SIT can be part of the solution.
Too often, successful trials are viewed as the end of a project. In reality, they should be the beginning of a conversation.
The Goulburn Murray Valley is one of Australia’s most significant horticultural regions. The decisions we make today about biosecurity, innovation and long-term pest management will influence the competitiveness of our industry for decades to come. Queensland Fruit Fly remains one of the most significant biosecurity threats facing Victorian horticulture, and growers need management tools that are effective, sustainable and backed by evidence.
That is why industry is advocating for further investigation into the feasibility of a Victorian Sterile Insect Technique facility as part of a broader long-term management strategy.
This is not about replacing existing approaches.
Nor is it about searching for a silver bullet.
It is about building a stronger toolkit.
Area Wide Management has demonstrated what coordinated action can achieve. The Cobram SIT trial has demonstrated the potential of innovative technology. The opportunity now is to understand how these approaches can work together to deliver lasting benefits for growers and regional communities.
The question is no longer whether SIT warrants consideration.
The evidence suggests it does.
The real question is whether we are prepared to take the next step and move from trial to strategy.
