Victoria has legislated to enable backyard fruit growers who use the wrong netting and those who sell or advertise it, to be fined. The fine for using fruit netting that doesn't meet the new specifications will be $3,303 and also a fine of $660 will apply to anyone advertising the illegal netting or offering it for sale.

During the 2021–22 summer Wildlife Victoria found nearly 300 cases of wildlife caught and injured in domestic fruit tree netting. That ranged from flying foxes, which were the majority of cases, magpies, rainbow lorikeets, sulphur-crested cockatoos and possums. They suspect the numbers could be a lot higher as, in a lot of cases, the animals are already deceased or they may be unreported.

Domestic fruit growers will be required to use netting with an aperture of 5 × 5 mm at full stretch. A finger can’t get into that size.

Please contact your local MP or the NSW Agriculture Minister, Dugald Saunders, to request that the same legislation be enacted in NSW.