A STATE minister has suggested a South Australian facility producing sterile fruit flies should be expanded to support the eradication of fruit fly from the Riverland. 

Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven last week visited the Port Augusta Sterile Insect Technology (SIT) facility, which has been breeding SIT fruit flies for release in the region. 

Ms Scriven said the utilisation of SIT provided a long-term strategy to combat fruit fly outbreaks that was unreliant on insecticides. 

“I’m so pleased to be able to see firsthand how the SIT facility is operating at such a large scale of production which is supporting the eradication of fruit fly in the Riverland,” Ms Scriven said.   

“We know how important this facility and its operations are to eradicating fruit fly in the Riverland, which is why I’ve written to Federal Minister (for Agriculture) Murray Watt in relation to its growth and expansion.

“SIT is being used in the Riverland in conjunction with other response tactics such as deploying traps, applying organic bait, checking fruit for fruit fly and removing fallen fruit from yards. 

“A commercial grower program to (encourage) self-baiting and deploying lures and traps that attract and kill flies, alongside a voluntary tree replacement program, is also running.” 

The Port Augusta facility breeds approximately 20 million SIT fruit flies each week.