Riverland Fruit Fly Free Zone

Fruit Fly is one of the world’s worst fruit pests and can destroy fruit and vegetables in commercial crops and home gardens.

South Australia remains the only Australian mainland state with an active Pest Free Area (PFA) actively aiming to be fruit fly free, ensuring:
• The protection of the state’s commercial production of fruit and vegetables (in 2014–15, the estimated farm-gate value of the state’s horticultural produce vulnerable to fruit fly infestation, including wine grapes, was $1.1 billion)
• Horticultural producers’ access to lucrative export markets (such as citrus and almond export markets in the United States, New Zealand and Japan worth about $120 million a year)
• An estimated $4.2 million a year saving for the citrus industry, by avoiding the need for cold and chemical treatments.
• Home grown fruit and vegetables requiring fewer pesticides.

Every year the South Australian Government spends millions of dollars keeping fruit fly and other plant pests out of the state, through a range of prevention, detection and eradication measures.

These measures have made a significant contribution to the decrease in recorded fruit fly outbreaks in South Australia.

South Australia remains under threat from a large number of fruit fly outbreaks in eastern states, so it is vital that prevention, detection and eradication measures continue.

Points to remember

If you are carrying fruit or vegetable produce when travelling into South Australia or the Riverland, eat it, bin it, or declare it.

If you find maggots in fruit or vegetables, or suspect fruit fly or other plant pests or diseases,
immediately call the fruit fly hotline on

Fruit Cluster

Summerfruit SA

Formally South Australian Fresh Fruit Growers Association – is pleased to welcome you to our website. Our endeavour is to encourage everyone to eat more delicious summer stonefruit by providing you with as much information as possible on how to source, buy, store and cook tasty summer stonefruits grown in the Riverland.