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Fruit fly fears for $300m crop
24 Sep 2003
Horticulture growers have warned the South Australian Government that fruit fly could become a serious threat to the $300 million industry if a composting depot is built near Virginia. Cabinet is poised to grant approval to Jeffries Garden Soils to establish an $11 million organic recycling facility at Buckland Park. The depot would eventually take up to 300,000 tonnes of metropolitan garden material every year and reduce it to commercial quality compost.
Virginia growers say they're not opposed to a compost facility as such but the risk is too great of exposing the region to pests such as fruit fly, and diseases which attack potatoes and vines. Virginia growers produce about $32 million worth of tomatoes for the US export market each year.
Jeffries Group's MD Lachlan Jeffries said steps will be taken to prevent contamination, including planting trees on boundaries to reduce the impact of wind, transporting waste in covered trucks, primary processing of waste taking place on a concrete floor and using wheel washing facilities.
The Advertiser, 23/9/03, page 21.
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