Fruit fly restrictions for growers and producers
Growers and producers must understand the rules and conditions for restricted fruit and vegetables that they grow, sell, or pack.
Seasonal advice for growers
Seasonal fruit fly advice for South Australian growers — risk periods, control tips, monitoring and best practices to protect crops throughout the year.
Harvesting
Follow key harvest guidelines for producing and exporting fruit from red outbreak areas while preventing fruit fly spread.
Treatment options
Guidance for growers on treating restricted fruit and vegetables to manage fruit fly risks, ensure compliance, and protect produce quality.
Selling to markets
Understand market rules and restrictions for selling fruit and vegetables safely during fruit fly outbreaks in South Australia.
Moving and storing produce
Find guidelines for safely storing, packing and transporting produce in fruit fly outbreak areas to meet compliance rules.
Transporting produce
Find out how to meet the requirements for restricted fruit and vegetables during an outbreak if you're travelling, or your depots are impacted by these areas.
Riverland grower self-baiting program
Commercial Riverland growers in red outbreak fruit fly areas are eligible to be part of the fruit fly Spring Eradication Plan 2022 self baiting program.
Protecting bees while baiting
Guidance for growers on safe baiting during pollination to protect bees, manage fruit fly risks, and maintain effective orchard pest control.
Riverland grower SMS alerts
If you’re a commercial grower in the Riverland, you can sign up to receive SMS alerts if there’s a confirmed Queensland fruit fly detection near or on your property.
Movement controls
Controls are in place for moving restricted produce in fruit fly outbreak areas. Industry use different zone names than the public to identify these areas:
- Controlled Movement Zone (CMZ) – fruit fly affected area
- Vineyards and wineries in a Riverland Controlled Movement Zone must comply with the guidelines that have been developed with Vinehealth Australia: Managing Riverland vineyards inside Queensland fruit fly outbreak areas 2022–23 ( ).
- Corrective Action Zone (CAZ) – Red outbreak area
- Growers and producers within a Corrective Action Zone cannot move restricted fruit and vegetables from any property without PIRSA approving it first.
- This includes if you're sending to a packing shed, treatment facility, or non-sensitive market.
- Export Assurance Zone (EAZ) – Yellow suspension area
- Growers and producers within an Export Assurance Zone can move without restrictions in that EAZ if sending to a packing shed or treatment facility.
- Before selling your produce within the area, or removing it from the EAZ, PIRSA must approve it – you may be required to apply an approved treatment.
Check the outbreak map to see if your business is in an affected area, and the end dates for current outbreaks.
Restrictions can vary according to:
- where your restricted fruit and vegetables are grown and packed
- locations of markets you are selling to
- travel routes used.
You must apply controls before moving restricted fruit and vegetables. Learn about the requirements:
Costs of outbreak restrictions
PIRSA has waived the costs associated with accreditation, certification, inspections, and audits during the current fruit fly outbreaks for businesses that are directly impacted by the restrictions.
Although PIRSA is not passing on any costs, the business may experience costs associated with:
- applying required treatments
- arranging secure transport
- any other required changes to their established processes.
Areas not affected by fruit fly
If you're sending fruit and vegetables interstate from outside the CMZ, you won't need to apply any additional treatments. Your fruit and vegetables can only travel through fruit fly affected areas if you meet secure conditions.
There may be other requirements for sending produce interstate for other pests and diseases. Find out more by contacting either:
For produce exported internationally from unaffected parts of the Riverland Pest Free Area, the Australian Government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry may require an accompanying Property Freedom Certificate issued by PIRSA.
Contact the Fruit Fly Industry Hotline early as these certificates may take a couple of days to be processed.
More information
- Outbreak explanations, including how a fruit fly outbreak is declared and eradicated
- How to dispose of unwanted restricted fruit and vegetables.