BORDER bureaucracy is being blamed for delays in establishing a ring of fruit fly defences around the Sunraysia fruit-growing region.

Victorian efforts to fund and staff its own permanent roadblock on the busy Sturt Highway, near Balranald in NSW, have been stalled. Plans for the roadblock were first announced last October.

Fruit growers are applying a blowtorch to the Victorian Government to act urgently to prevent another disaster which cost them an estimated $20-$30 million last year.

Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said there "had been delays" in ongoing talks with the NSW Government about the roadblock, first mooted for Euston, across the Murray River from Robinvale.

Citrus and table grape growers want the Victorian Government to fast-track the negotiations so even a temporary roadblock can be set up.

"If they don't do something soon we will be closed down for another year," Ellerslie citrus grower John Keam said.

He said last year's unprecedented 30 outbreaks of Queensland fruit fly had cost him more than $200,000 in increased export requirements.

A mild summer has eased the crisis with most of the outbreaks now controlled, although more new fruit fly outbreaks at Toll Toll near Robinvale, and last week in Mr Walsh's own electorate at Swan Hill, have growers panicked again.

Citrus Australia chairwoman Tania Chapman and Australian Table Grape Association chief executive Jeff Scott both praised Mr Walsh for the efforts made to recover from last year's outbreaks.

Department of Primary Industries staff did almost 34,500 property inspections, removed nearly 19 tonnes of unwanted fruit and issued 140 control notices to owners to ensure those properties were cleaned up.

Mrs Chapman said recent blitzes found one in three cars entering Sunraysia in NSW carried potentially infected fruit.

"It is totally frustrating that the roadblock hasn't gone in," she said.

"It's not enough, we need more roadblocks but there is still time to take action before our peak season."

Mr Walsh said Victoria had been talking to its NSW counterparts about having a permanent roadblock which could be randomly manned on the NSW side of the Sturt Highway. This would affect only those people travelling from eastern NSW, where fruit fly was endemic.