Mr WOOD - 2013-08-27
Your department announced yesterday there had been an outbreak of banana freckle in the Howard Springs area.
Could you please explain what banana freckle is, what damage it causes to bananas, how it got to Howard Springs, what it will mean to Howard Springs residents who grow bananas in their back yards, what it will mean to the Northern Territory banana industry already hard hit by Panama disease, and what it could mean to the Australian banana industry if it was to spread further south?
ANSWER
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his, not question, but questions. There is probably enough in that to warrant the member for Nelson coming for a full briefing, which I am happy to arrange.
I will address the questions as I am able to. Banana freckle is a fungal disease which has recently been detected on Cavendish bananas in the Howard Springs area. Significantly, it is the first report of the disease on Cavendish bananas in Australia. Other banana varieties have been affected before, but not Cavendish.
The disease infects the leaves and fruit of banana plants, potentially impacting vigour and yield, and resulting in downgrading of fruit. While the disease does blemish bananas, there is no health risk to humans should infected fruit be eaten.
The two affected properties have been placed under quarantine in order to prevent further movement of the disease. There are no commercial banana farms affected by the disease, and there is ongoing monitoring to ensure market access for commercial farms can be maintained. A local control centre has been established at Berrimah Farm to manage the incursion.
For your information, the Territory banana industry is forecast to be valued at approximately $5.4m in the 2012-13 year.
This government and the officers of my Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries take biosecurity very seriously. As soon as we became aware of the issues around banana freckle we moved extremely quickly to quarantine the affected properties. We have already met with the Consultative Committee for Emergency Plant Pests, which met on 14 August to consider the incident. Work is progressing between my department and that plant committee to establish a response plan.
It is expected an eradication process will take place, which is made possible by the small area which is affected by this disease. Also, we have set up a Banana Freckle Hotline, which is 8999 2273, so people who do have concerns …
Mr Giles: What is the hotline called?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: It is called the Banana Freckle Hotline. People become concerned about these diseases in bananas; we do not want them affecting our industry. It is incumbent on everyone who might have bananas growing in their areas, particularly the Howard Springs area, to ensure they report any incursions they see.
Could you please explain what banana freckle is, what damage it causes to bananas, how it got to Howard Springs, what it will mean to Howard Springs residents who grow bananas in their back yards, what it will mean to the Northern Territory banana industry already hard hit by Panama disease, and what it could mean to the Australian banana industry if it was to spread further south?
ANSWER
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his, not question, but questions. There is probably enough in that to warrant the member for Nelson coming for a full briefing, which I am happy to arrange.
I will address the questions as I am able to. Banana freckle is a fungal disease which has recently been detected on Cavendish bananas in the Howard Springs area. Significantly, it is the first report of the disease on Cavendish bananas in Australia. Other banana varieties have been affected before, but not Cavendish.
The disease infects the leaves and fruit of banana plants, potentially impacting vigour and yield, and resulting in downgrading of fruit. While the disease does blemish bananas, there is no health risk to humans should infected fruit be eaten.
The two affected properties have been placed under quarantine in order to prevent further movement of the disease. There are no commercial banana farms affected by the disease, and there is ongoing monitoring to ensure market access for commercial farms can be maintained. A local control centre has been established at Berrimah Farm to manage the incursion.
For your information, the Territory banana industry is forecast to be valued at approximately $5.4m in the 2012-13 year.
This government and the officers of my Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries take biosecurity very seriously. As soon as we became aware of the issues around banana freckle we moved extremely quickly to quarantine the affected properties. We have already met with the Consultative Committee for Emergency Plant Pests, which met on 14 August to consider the incident. Work is progressing between my department and that plant committee to establish a response plan.
It is expected an eradication process will take place, which is made possible by the small area which is affected by this disease. Also, we have set up a Banana Freckle Hotline, which is 8999 2273, so people who do have concerns …
Mr Giles: What is the hotline called?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: It is called the Banana Freckle Hotline. People become concerned about these diseases in bananas; we do not want them affecting our industry. It is incumbent on everyone who might have bananas growing in their areas, particularly the Howard Springs area, to ensure they report any incursions they see.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016