South Australia's $1.4 billion horticulture industry says everything "should be on the table" to battle ongoing fruit fly outbreaks in the Riverland, amid concerns the problem was not widely understood by the public.
South Australia is the only mainland state that claims pest-free status, and the Riverland has its own special, pest-free designation.
The pest-free status provides growers access to more international markets and also means Riverland fruit fetches a premium price, but 12 ongoing fruit fly outbreaks in the region are putting this under threat.
Almost 18 months since the first outbreaks in December 2020, Primary Industries and Regions SA has held a meeting in Loxton to hear the industry's thoughts on how to proceed with an eradication program.
"We have a lot of tried and tested methods of eradicating fruit fly and we've been using those in outbreaks here and in Adelaide," Biosecurity SA executive director Nathan Rhodes said.
"There may be things that industry and local government can put forward to challenge those ideas, to question the approach, and come up with some ideas we haven't thought of."
The source of many of the outbreaks has been maggots found in unattended backyard fruit trees, putting the focus on home owners with an orange or peach tree in their garden.
Member for Chaffey Tim Whetstone said unattended trees should be forcibly removed if they were found to be hosting fruit fly, a policy in some areas interstate.
While PIRSA (Primary Industries and Regions South Australia) was not considering the move, Mr Whetstone said everything should be on the table.
"It's about looking at the hotspots for the detections and looking at the culprits, which appear to be abandoned backyard trees or people who aren't maintaining their trees," he said.
"It's about individual cases, repeat offenders, and volunteering those trees in your backyard you aren't prepared to maintain."
Local fruit given 500km detour
Restrictions have meant extra steps for Riverland growers to sell fruit in their home state, with cold treatment or fumigation required before fruit hits store shelves.
Renmark and Loxton Foodland owner Grenfell Koch said it had been difficult to access locally grown produce.
"We've always bought our fruit from a grower in Renmark, but even though it was only about 2.5 kilometres down the road from our supermarket, it couldn't be delivered straight to us," he said.
"It had to be sent out to Adelaide. It'd go from the market out to Wingfield to go through a fumigation process and the next day they'd pick the fruit up and send it back up to us [in the Riverland].
"You can imagine the costs and logistics of that when we'd normally just source the stuff locally."
Renmark grower Tim Grieger said he had never seen so many concurrent outbreaks in the region.
"I've been a grower for more than 20 years now and invested a lot in the industry. It's pretty important to myself and every grower to have the benefit of a pest-free area.
"The challenge we've got ahead of us is huge."
Fruit fly 'frightening' for locals
Well-known Adelaide chef Poh Ling Yeow has been the face of radio, television, print and online advertising warning against travelling with fruit into SA or the Riverland.
But in Renmark, the site of the latest outbreak, travellers have admitted to not knowing much about the pest and its effects.
Modbury resident Janet Olsen said previous Adelaide outbreaks were well publicised, but she did not know about the issue in the Riverland.
"It's strange but a lot of people are very local and they don't know anything outside their district," she said.
"It's rife throughout Australia, not just Adelaide."
Paringa resident Albert Godfrey and his brother Bob, from Gilles Plains, both appreciate the seriousness of fruit fly in the region.
"There's really no backup at the moment. Lately there have been fruit fly inspectors out checking fruit, but if you don't listen you don't know," Albert said.
"If it takes over we're gone. It's frightening to even see and hear about it."
