Horticulture

Tiny insect behind food security threat

By Contributed

Sep 24, 2026

Recent independent expert analysis found the Goulburn Murray Valley ranks among Australia’s most vulnerable fruit fly regions.

Conversations about food security often involve water, labour and inputs, but there is one threat that comes from a tiny insect, with a big impact.

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Cobram and district Fruitgrowers Association president Adrian Conti points to the insect that can fit on the tip of a finger, the Queensland Fruit Fly.

It’s offspring threaten the Goulburn and Murray Valley’s billion dollar horticulture production.

“The challenge for our region is unique,” Mr Conti said

Recent independent expert analysis found the Goulburn Murray Valley ranks among Australia’s most vulnerable fruit fly regions.

Our large horticultural footprint, close interaction between urban areas and orchards, and concentration of highly susceptible crops create ideal conditions for fruit fly pressure.

“In simple terms, we face one of the hardest fruit fly management challenges in the nation,” he said.

“Fortunately, we also know what works.”

Mr Conti points to the Goulburn Murray Valley’s high-input Area Wide Management program which has delivered outstanding results.

Monitoring reveals that fruit fly populations fell by 95 per cent in the first year and a further 60 per cent in the second year.

In Cobram, the integration of Area Wide Management and the Sterile Insect Technique achieved an 83 per cent reduction in fruit fly numbers.

“The lesson is straightforward,” Mr Conti said.

“When governments, industry and communities work together, fruit fly numbers fall.

“When investment declines, the opposite occurs.

“Since government funding reductions, the program has transitioned to a lower-input approach.

“Independent analysis has identified increasing fruit fly populations and a reduced capacity to maintain suppression.

“In 2024 alone, trapping data showed fruit fly populations increased by approximately 90 per cent.

“Further modelling suggests populations could increase by more than 600 per cent if effective management is not maintained.

“That should concern every Victorian.

“This is not simply about protecting growers.

“It is about protecting the fresh fruit and vegetables that end up on supermarket shelves, along with regional jobs, export markets and one of Australia’s most productive food-growing regions.

The Victorian Government has identified the importance of growing the state’s food and fibre sector.

Achieving that ambition requires protecting the industries that underpin it.