The $3 million expansion of the National Sterile Insect Technology (SIT) facility at Port Augusta is now underway, helping to drive down fruit fly numbers in South Australia.
The existing site, which opened in November 2016, has reached its capacity, producing up to 20 million sterile flies a week with most being released in the Riverland as part of the response to the current outbreaks in the region.
The program aims to reduce fruit fly population by mating sterile flies with wild flies, resulting in no fertile offspring.
The expansion is funded under the $30 million Australian Government National Building Resilience to Manage Fruit Fly program, with additional contributions from PIRSA and Citrus SA, and once completed will have twice the capacity of the original facility, doubling Queensland Fruit Fly (Q-fly) production.
The SIT facility will provide a critical service to help eradicate outbreaks in pest-free areas and reduce pest pressure in vulnerable production areas. SIT contributes to reduced pest damage and costs to farmers who must treat their fruit before it goes to premium export market.
Currently work on the Q-fly facility is on track to be completed by spring 2023 with additional flies expected to be ready for release later this year.
Production of sterile Q-flies will continue throughout the construction phase. The expansion will occur alongside the existing building and will then be joined at the end of the construction phase.
