Custom-made quad bikes purchased by the South Australian government to help eradicate fruit fly have been taken out of service because they are “too noisy”.
Key points:
- Almost $200,000 worth of UTVs to help eradicate fruit fly were deemed too noisy to use
- Growers say the next few months will be crucial for Riverland to hold on to its fruit fly free status
- A grower calls for the sterile fruit fly program to be ramped up and more boots on the ground.
Government information showed the four utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) cost $43,360 each, fully kitted-out with a custom-made bait spray and trailer.
Work by Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) staff to fix the noise issue however has meant the issue has been resolved and the UTVs will be on the ground Monday.
The news comes after a pregnant female Queensland fruit fly was found in monitoring trap at Murtho earlier this week.
Several other detections were made at Loxton and Waikerie recently as well.
Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said the UTVs were ordered by the previous Liberal government to mechanise bait applications.
“Once they arrived [in April] it appeared they had one aspect that was not fit for purpose,” she said.
“They were extremely noisy to the extent that they would cause problems for the staff that were driving them.
Ms Scriven said a work health and safety audit found the noise of the pumps on the vehicles was “far too high”.
“We shouldn’t be putting the hearing of workers at risk because of a stuff-up by the previous government,” she said.
Her comments have come in response to concerns raised by the Member for Chaffey, Tim Whetstone, that government red tape was holding back resources needed to battle the pest.
“I am gobsmacked to think that bureaucracy would say that we can’t use these vehicles due to noise issues,” he said.
“If that was told to a farmer that has got his business impacted by an outbreak he would be outraged.”
Ms Scriven accused Mr Whetstone of “political point scoring” and encouraged a bipartisan approach on the issue.
“We want things that are going to help the industry, not politicians squabbling in the background,” she said.
The UTV engine was recorded at 86 decibels.
The modifications achieved by PIRSA, plus appropriate hearing protection would allow longer hours in the field to efficiently distribute fruit fly bait.
Last chance for eradication
Paringa-based grower Ben Haslett said the next few months would be crucial for the South Australia’s Riverland to hold on to its fruit-fly free status.
“We’ve been following a certain pathway to deal with it and it hasn’t been working the way we want so far.”
The total state fruit fly response in metropolitan Adelaide, Riverland, and Port Augusta since the campaign started on December 17, 2019, to April 30, 2022, has cost $74.4 million, but Mr Haslett believed more was needed.
In particular he called for the state’s sterile fruit fly program to be ramped up and more “boots on the ground”.
“It’s hard to get people right now but it might be the state government needs to get a bit innovative and help PIRSA with regard to how they source people to do this,” Mr Haslett said.
“There’s a whole range of people who have been in Adelaide who have fully trained in the clean-up that occurred down there. Perhaps in the short time while we’ve got this window before it gets cold we might need to bus some people up every week.”
Ms Scriven said the department had more than 50 staff working daily in the Riverland to help eradicate fruit fly, with more expected to be on the ground next week.
“We have major workforce issues in regional areas so I am actually very pleased that we are able to have another 11 inducted this week,” she said.
There has been an ongoing education program to help people understand what they can and cannot do with fruit and vegetables in South Australia, but Mr Haslett said he would like PIRSA to be given the authority to deal any recalcitrant areas where fruit fly was found regularly.
Outbreak locations and how long restrictions are in place
- Loxton, Queensland fruit fly – December 22, 2022
- Loxton North A, Queensland fruit fly – December 22, 2022
- Loxton North B, Queensland fruit fly – December 22, 2022
- Loxton North C, Queensland fruit fly – December 22, 2022
- Murtho, Queensland fruit fly – December 22, 2022
- Pike River, Queensland fruit fly – December 20, 2022
- Pike River West, Queensland fruit fly – December 20, 2022
- Renmark West, Queensland fruit fly – December 20, 2022
- Waikerie, Queensland fruit fly – December 20, 2022
- Paringa, Queensland fruit fly – December 19, 2022
- Renmark North, Queensland fruit fly – December 19, 2022