THE Goulburn Murray Valley Fruit Fly Area Wide Management Program was crowned winner of the 2021 Australian Biosecurity Award, community category, at the National Biosecurity Forum in Canberra on November 10.
The award, presented by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment, recognises the important contribution the program is making to the quality of Australian horticulture and our national biosecurity system.
The program is auspiced by Moira Shire and funded by the Victorian Government’s Managing Fruit Fly Regional Grants Program. The program takes in the council areas of Moira, Greater Shepparton, Campaspe, Strathbogie and Berrigan Shires and works with the community, industry and government to improve fruit fly management.
The Program’s Governance Group is made up of representatives from the five Local Government Areas, Cobram and District Fruit Growers Association, Fruit Growers Victoria, Agriculture Victoria, Macquarie University, Lions International together with other community, industry and government representatives.
“Our ‘No Flies On Us!’ brand is known throughout Australia and our achievements include multiple trapping grids used to identify and target fruit fly ‘hot spots’, that have in turn lead to dramatic reductions of fruit fly populations in the GMV over the past four years,” said Cobram and District Fruit Growers Association Governance Group chair and president, Tony Siciliano.
“This has been done by high levels of community engagement and our communities should be proud of their efforts in helping to stop the spread of fruit fly.”
