QLD: DPI investigation further citrus canker outbreaks

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2005
QLD: DPI investigation further citrus canker outbreaks

By Chris Herde

BRISBANE, Feb 10 AAP - Queensland agricultural authorities will investigate another
potential outbreak of citrus canker in the Emerald region.

Grower John Pressler said today he had found suspicious lesions on five trees on his
property about two kilometres from where the last outbreak occurred.

"It's in another area and it's on another of our farms and samples of these suspicious
lesions, which my trained eye says are going to come back positive," he said.

So far more than 90,000 trees have been destroyed on Mr Pressler's properties.

The initial outbreak was discovered in July last year on Evergreen Farms which had
around 230,000 trees destroyed.

Mr Pressler has called for all citrus trees in the area to be destroyed with growers
receiving $50 in compensation for each tree killed.

He said if the march of the disease continued it could threaten Australia's $600 million
citrus industry.

"Rome's burning. It should be all about stopping it spreading outside of Emerald," he said.

"It could completely ruin the Australia citrus industry."

Mr Pressler said the state government's response had been overly bureaucratic and inadequate.

Recently the government offered growers interest-free loans of up to $500,000 per farmer.

This would be available for two years to growers in the Emerald area whose properties
have been quarantined since the citrus canker disease was discovered.

Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI) Plant Health General Manager Chris
Adriaansen said inspectors would be visiting Mr Pressler's property.

"This property has been under quarantine since the first detection of citrus canker
on another property in July last year," he said.

"In October, citrus canker was identified on this property and it has been locked down
since then.

"The announcement by Mr Pressler today has no immediate impact on the current status
of other citrus growers.

"Citrus canker has not been detected on any other property in Queensland - not in Gayndah-Mundubbera,
not on the other Emerald properties and not in the rest of Queensland."

Mr Adriaansen said diagnosis of the samples was expected to be completed within a week.

"Obviously our ability to collect the samples and have them diagnosed will be determined
by the level of co-operation we receive from the property owners."

AAP ch/cjh/sd

KEYWORD: CANKER

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