National Fruit Fly Strategy

The National Fruit Fly Strategy 2020–25 (NFFS) has been developed by the National Fruit Fly Council (the Council) to provide a framework for ongoing stakeholder cooperation to support a contemporary, viable, cost-effective and coordinated national approach to fruit fly management. The strategy applies to all endemic and non-endemic species of fruit fly.

draft NFFS was released in 2008, and since that time there have been a number of challenges to Australia’s fruit fly system including the loss of key disinfestation chemicals, changes to fruit fly distributions, and increasing scrutiny and assurances being sought from trading partners. There has also been important progress made in strengthening the fruit fly system, such as in sterile insect technology, irradiation treatment, diagnostic tools, area wide management, and systems approaches.

The NFFS has been revised and streamlined to incorporate these developments and align with other national strategies such as the National Plant Biosecurity StrategyNational Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Strategy, and the National Plant Biosecurity Surveillance Strategy.

The strategic objectives of the 2020–25 NFFS are to:

  • maintain Australia’s freedom from exotic fruit fly.
  • minimise the incidence and spread of fruit fly.
  • implement national systems that support market access.
  • facilitate a cooperative and committed national approach to fruit fly management.

Eight different, yet interdependent, priority areas are also identified in the strategy: market access; management of established fruit fly; prevention, preparedness and response; research; surveillance; diagnostics; communication and engagement; and cooperation.

Download the 2020-25 NFFS

Download the NFFS fact sheet


National Fruit Fly Strategy implementation plans

While no additional funding has been committed to the NFFS, the implementation plan for 2020–21 collates key fruit fly activities that have already been planned and resourced by stakeholders against priority areas. The Council will use this implementation plan to monitor progress against the NFFS and identify gaps that need to be addressed in the national system, advising stakeholders and decision-makers on key findings.

The implementation plan acknowledges the considerable and ongoing contribution by many different stakeholders to fruit fly management in Australia. Importantly, it provides an opportunity to collectively consider potential gaps to be addressed in this system as guided by a SWOT analysis, the Intergovernmental Agreement on Strengthening Australia’s Fruit Fly Management System, and the 2015 National Fruit Fly Research, Development and Extension Plan.

The Council will also prepare a formal report against each annual implementation plan and will use this as a basis to review progress against the NFFS Strategic Framework and to identify priorities for the financial year ahead.

Download the 2020-21 implementation plan


Draft National Fruit Fly Strategy and related documents

PHA facilitated the development of a draft National Fruit Fly Strategy in collaboration with federal, state and territory governments and industry partners which was released in 2008.  The draft strategy built on the substantial investments made over many years by industry and governments on operational, regulatory, research and development and market access programs to manage fruit fly.

Implementation Action Plan for the draft National Fruit Fly Strategy

In 2010 the National Fruit Fly Strategy Implementation Action Plan set out 15 broad project initiatives across the commodity supply chain to guide implementation of the major recommendations and strategies of the draft National Fruit Fly Strategy. Key among these was the establishment of a national governance structure.

Benefit–Cost Analysis of the Action Plan for the draft National Fruit Fly Strategy

Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) was engaged by Plant Health Australia to assess the potential benefits of implementing the National Fruit Fly Implementation Action Plan (for the draft National Fruit Fly Strategy) against the costs. The purpose of the analysis was to examine additional benefits that could be gained nationally through the coordinated Action Plan. Additional benefits are over and above existing benefits provided by fruit fly management programs.

Research by ABARES for Plant Health Australia, December 2012, by Ali Abdalla, Nicola Millist, Benjamin Buetre and Bruce Bowen.

Full report (pdf)


Related topics

Fruit flies

National Fruit Fly Council

Prevent Fruit Fly website

Handbook for the Identification of Fruit Fly