The National Fruit Fly Council (NFFC) is excited to unveil a refreshed Prevent Fruit Fly website that provides a more seamless digital experience, making it more intuitive and easy to use.

Fruit fly is a major global horticultural pest costing Australian businesses more than $300 million in lost international or domestic markets annually. While many horticultural growers are adept at managing fruit fly on-farm, pest pressure is often experienced from off-farm sources such as fruit fly hosts in home gardens, unmanaged orchards, and in public amenities.

In Australia there are over 300 fruit fly species with the most important economic species being the Queensland fruit fly (established in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and the Northern Territory) and the Mediterranean fruit fly (established in Western Australia). There are also a number of lesser fruit fly species, such as Island Fly, which can impact on horticultural production.

The Prevent Fruit Fly website continues to offer accurate, trusted information in the identification and management of Queensland and Mediterranean fruit fly.

Designed with fruit fly stakeholders in mind, the refreshed website has organised information to enable, producers, transporters, government officials, and gardeners to find and access the information they are looking for.

The website is used as one of many tools to increase awareness of Australia’s national fruit fly status and provide the tools, information, and resources to enable users to manage fruit fly.

“At the centre of the refresh is an easy-to-use website that is more streamlined, offering a visually engaging experience,” said Dr Lucy Tran-Nguyen, PHA General Manager, Partnerships and Innovation.

The National Fruit Fly Council (NFFC) is hosted by Plant Health Australia and brings together government, growers and research funders to develop a national approach to managing fruit fly across Australia. The Council seeks to influence and support fruit fly management efforts by promoting awareness of the National Fruit Fly Strategy, activities that will strengthen the national fruit fly system, and opportunities for collaboration across stakeholders. The Council also works to improve access to fruit fly management information for all stakeholders, from individuals growing produce for personal use, through to the largest of Australia’s horticultural industries.