Queensland Fruit Fly insecticide regulations change

Bactrocera tryoni, the Queensland fruit fly, is a species of fly in the family Tephritidae in the insect order Diptera. B. tryoni is native to subtropical coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has changed the regulations covering the use of the chemical dimethoate because it's worried about the health impact its use might be having on children.

Dimethoate is an insecticide used to protect blueberries, raspberries and blackberries from fruit fly. Dimethoate has been used in Australia since the 1950s to control more than 80 pest insects in fruit, vegetables and grains. It was banned by the European Union in 2019 and is classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a "possible human carcinogen".

It is now illegal for growers to use dimethoate on blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, which could be harvested as soon as one day after spraying. Dimethoate can only be used if the berries are withheld from harvest for 14 days to allow the insecticide to dissapate to acceptable levels.

At the Glenlyon Blueberry Orchard, our berries are not affected by fruit fly in the way growers in NSW are. Our berries are always free of insecticides. Our berries are not impacted by any insects and so will always be free from any insecticide residues. 

Glenlyon Blueberry Orchard berries are naturally insecticide-free and always freshly harvested!