Industry Update

Queensland Fruit Fly (Qfly) - South Perth Outbreak

Queensland fruit fly (Qfly) has been detected in the South Perth area. A response is underway to support eradication and protect Western Australia’s horticultural industries.

Current Status

The Quarantine Area established on 17 April 2026 remains in place as response and eradication activities continue across South Perth and surrounding suburbs. Operations are progressing, with a strong focus on baiting, property visits, surveillance and community engagement to the prevent further spread of Qfly.

The Quarantine Area consists of the:

• Red Zone (Corrective Action Zone) – intensive eradication activities, including movement controls
• Orange Zone (Export Assurance Zone) – buffer area with movement controls in place

Market Compliance

Each weekend, Compliance Officers attend local markets across the Quarantine Area each to ensure that vendors selling fresh produce are complying with Quarantine Area Notice requirements.

Vendors selling host plants, host fruit or fruiting vegetables in the Red or Orange Zone of the Quarantine Area must:

• Keep host fruit and fruiting vegetables inside buildings or covered with plastic wrap, tarpaulins, hessian, mesh, or other secure coverings to prevent infestation by Qfly.
• Keep host fruit and fruiting vegetables inside fully enclosed vehicles or securely covered during transportation in the Quarantine Area.
• Remove host fruit from host plants before passing through or leaving the Quarantine Area.

What DPIRD is Doing

Field teams remain focused on surveillance, baiting, managing lures, and sample collection. To date, the response has achieved:

• 51,465 premises visits completed
• 6,291 lures deployed
• 515 fruit samples collected for analysis
• 4,081L of Naturalure bait applied to street trees

Fruit Collection and Disposal

The best way to prevent Qfly from reproducing is to remove host fruit. Noting the difficulty many residents face in treating and disposing of large quantities of host fruit, we have provided the opportunity for residents in the Red Zone to have their fruit disposed of by DPIRD. 

To date, residents have removed and bagged over 12.6 tonnes of host fruit for collection and proper disposal by DPIRD. This is a significant achievement and will help to break the Qfly lifecycle. Additional collections will take place in the Red Zone in the coming weeks.

Implications for Industry

Quarantine zones and movement controls remain in place to manage biosecurity risk and protect market access.

• Movement restrictions for host fruit and fruiting vegetables continue to apply within the Red and Orange Zones.
• Businesses operating within, or moving produce through, the quarantine area must ensure compliance with approved movement and treatment requirements.

Perth Markets fall within the Orange Zone, and work is ongoing to minimise risk while supporting continuity of trade.

Industry Webinar

For those who may have missed the Qfly industry webinar held on 6 May 2026, a recording of the session is available, providing an overview of the Qfly response, the Quarantine Area and what this means for industry.

For further information, including movement requirements and approved measures, visit wa.gov.au/qfly. For questions not covered on the website, contact the team at qfly@dpird.wa.gov.au.

Working with Industry

DPIRD is committed to keeping industry informed and engaged throughout the response. Stakeholder feedback will continue to inform response activities where appropriate. 

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation in the response to Qfly. 

Reporting and Information

Suspected Qfly can be reported to the Pest and Disease Information Service on 9368 3080 or via the MyPestGuide® Reporter app.

Up-to-date information is available at: wa.gov.au/qfly

For enquiries or further support, contact: qfly@dpird.wa.gov.au

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Important disclaimer
The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it.

Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development), 2026