Fruit fly fight underway

The National Sterile Insect Technology facility will produce up to 50m sterile male Queensland fruit flies each week which will be released in horticultural areas and, while they may not totally eradicate the pest, the factory will provide a commercial alternative to deal with the pest.

The state government has invested $3m and Horticulture Innovation Australia has contributed $800,000, with construction expected to take 10 months.

"While fruit fly is a major problem with horticultural crops in Australia's other mainland states, SA remains fruit fly free, but we are still at risk of an outbreak," Agriculture Minister Leon Bignell said.

"Producing male-only sterile Q-flies has never been done before on this scale and this facility will have an enormous impact on the way in which we deal with outbreaks."

The facility has received bipartisan support, with Liberal Senator Anne Ruston among those welcoming its construction.

"Sterile insect technology is a proven means of suppressing - and eradicating - pest insect populations around the world," she said.

"Along with the exotic Mediterranean fruit fly, Q-fly is one of the main barriers for Australian horticulture's access to export markets, requiring expensive in-crop and post-harvest treatments.

"We need to reduce this burden on farmers as they move to create and expand new markets overseas, and the Port Augusta SIT facility will play an important role."

Stuart MP Dan van Holst Pellekaan said the facility would create jobs at a time when "every new job in our region is incredibly important".

"I genuinely welcome 10 jobs which will be people running this facility; if we can pick up jobs in a range of projects that will go a long way towards addressing the difficulties that are certainly coming," he said.

"At the other end of my electorate, in the Riverland, this will protect growers as well as supporting the entire nation."