Importing fruit and vegetables into the Riverland

The Interstate Certification Assurance (ICA) specifies the arrangements for growers and distributors who move consignments of fruit fly host produce to the Riverland, directly or via Adelaide.

These treatments give South Australia the confidence that produce is being received free from unwanted pests.

The conditions to send produce to SA’s Riverland Pest Free Area (PFA) have changed. Growers and distributors of fruit fly host produce must now apply approved treatments to their produce before it is sent.

Conditions for growers

Growers are still allowed to send their consignments directly to the Riverland or via Adelaide, if they control fruit fly using:

• fumigation
• cold treatment
• chemicals post-harvest.

Growers who do not use these methods must now use one of the following approved treatments:

• Area Freedom for fruit flies / secure transportation (Condition 9)
• Hard green or similar condition for fruit fly (Condition 10) – **conditional acceptance
• Disinfestation by Cold Storage (Condition 11)
• Disinfestation using Dimethoate – Queensland fruit fly (Condition 12)
• Wine Grapes Secure Transportation – Queensland fruit fly / Mediterranean fruit fly (Condition 12E)
• Disinfestation by Methyl Bromide fumigation (Condition 13)
• Disinfestation by Irradiation (Condition 14).

Hard green or similar condition for fruit fly

**The Hard green or similar condition cannot be applied to the following fruits entering the South Australian Riverland:

• tomatoes
• passionfruit
• pawpaw
• achachairu.

These fruits must meet one of the alternative conditions listed above.

Amendments to ICA and Compliance Arrangement (CA)

In response to the changed conditions for produce entering the Riverland PFA, amendments have been made to:

• CA01 Import Verification Compliance Agreement (IVCA)
• ICA17 Re-consigning certified material
• ICA57 Re-packing of certified Fruit Fly and Melon Thrip Host material.

Pre-harvest treatments and post-harvest inspections will no longer be recognised as accepted treatments for consignments going into the Riverland or via Adelaide.

Riverland retailers can still receive fruit and vegetables from growers and distributors who have applied agreed treatments, like fumigation or certified cold storage, to keep it free of fruit fly.