Ceduna has officially been declared free of Mediterranean fruit fly, with PIRSA lifting restrictions after no detections since April.
The declaration confirms the pest has been successfully eradicated, allowing residents to once again share home-grown fruit and vegetables within and beyond the town.
The outbreak, first identified in March 2025 through PIRSA’s monitoring network, was contained quickly thanks to early detection and a targeted response. Field teams worked with locals to inspect produce, apply safe organic bait and remove fallen fruit to halt the fly’s life cycle.
A 12-week Sterile Insect Technique program remains underway, with up to one million sterile male flies released weekly to ensure any remaining wild females cannot reproduce. The final phase will continue until mid-December, despite the outbreak being declared over.
Ceduna’s local quarantine station will continue operating to help prevent Medfly entering from Western Australia. Monitoring traps will also stay in place to support rapid detection and response to any future incursions.
