The newly expanded National Sterile Insect Technology (SIT) facility at Port Augusta has boosted the Riverland fruit fly eradication response as it reaches the full production capacity of 40 million flies a week.
Funded under the Federal Government's $30 million Building Resilience to Manage Fruit Fly package, with additional contributions from PIRSA and Citrus SA, the facility's $3 million expansion, which opened in September, has doubled the number of sterile Queensland fruit flies (Q-fly) produced at the facility from 20 to 40 million a week, all of which are being sent to Riverland as part of the response to the current outbreaks in the region.
Production reached the facility's new capacity earlier than originally anticipated due to a boost in egg production with the expansion providing the perfect conditions for sterile fly production.
The additional capacity at the Port Augusta facility is a boon for the SIT component of the Riverland fruit fly response program with a total of three SIT release operations currently occurring at Murtho, Bookpurnong and Wonuarra.
The program reduces the fruit fly population by mating the sterile flies with wild flies, resulting in no fertile offspring. The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) has already commenced staff recruitment for the expanded site with 7–8 new positions created as a result of the expansion.
Fruit flies are the world's worst horticultural pest, destroying fruit and vegetables in commercial crops, home gardens and impacting on trade access. In Australia, Q-fly is one of two major species that impacts fruit and vegetable crops, the other being Mediterranean or Medfly. Currently there are 45 outbreaks in the Riverland with the latest outbreak announced last month at Glossop B.
For more information on the National SIT Facility and SIT operations, see Sterile insect technology.
