Fruit Growers Victoria and the Cobram and District Fruit Growers Association are also calling for renewed consideration of the sterile insect technique.
Following the release of a new independent analysis by internationally recognised fruit fly expert Andrew Jessup, both industry groups said the evidence was now unequivocal.
They said the Goulburn Murray Valley was highly vulnerable to fruit fly, and that effective suppression depends on government-funded control programs.
Cobram and District Fruit Growers Association president Adrian Conti said the analysis challenged Victorian Government assumptions that interstate fruit fly models could be applied in the Goulburn Murray Valley without ongoing intervention.
“The science, the data and the lived experience of growers all point to the same conclusion,” he said.
“When the GMV fruit fly program was properly funded and operated as a true high input Area Wide Management program, it worked.
“When funding was reduced, pressure returned quickly and predictably. One size fits all thinking is failing growers.”
Mr Conti said a Cobram trial using the SIT reduced fruit fly numbers significantly.
He said the program achieved a 95 per cent reduction in its first year, a further 60 per cent in the second year, and an additional 83 per cent reduction in the third year.
“Reopening discussions on SIT is essential,” he said.
FGV chair Mitchell McNab said similar approaches to SIT were being implemented in South Australia to address elevated fruit fly risks.
“The fact that SIT is being used in South Australia reinforces the need for governments to revisit its role in the GMV,” he said.
“This is not only a grower issue. It is a regional and state economic issue.
“The GMV underpins a significant share of Victoria’s horticultural output. Sustained under-investment in fruit fly control places that contribution at risk.”
FGV and CDFGA are calling for governments to adopt the 2026 Jessup findings and reinstate a fully funded Area Wide Management program in the Goulburn Murray Valley.
“We are asking governments to work with industry, look at the data, and apply the tools that evidence shows are required,” Mr Conti said.
“Every season of delay increases costs and compounds risk. These outcomes are avoidable with informed and decisive action.”
The report can be downloaded via: shepp.city/qffstrat
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