The devastating potato ‘Zebra Chip’ disease complex (spread by the tomato-potato psyllid) has caused widespread destruction in New Zealand, and before that in the US, costing the international potato industry millions of dollars.
“This has the potential to be catastrophic for the Australian potato industry, and I must say that I’ve been very surprised at the lack of appreciation for the gravity of this situation by Biosecurity Australia in the discussions we’ve held with them,” said Mulcahy.
The Ministry of Agriculture Biosecurity New Zealand has formally requested renewed market access for fresh potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), for processing under a Quarantine Approved Premise arrangement, into Australia.
“The information we’re getting from experts who’ve travelled to New Zealand investigating the devastation this disease has caused there, is that there’s so much we don’t know about the disease that we’d be crazy to take the risk by importing potatoes from countries like New Zealand, which we know are highly infected,” added Mulcahy.
“It’s important that the government fully understands the serious nature of this destructive disease,” he said. “There’s just not a compelling case for putting ourselves at this unnecessary risk.”
Source: Ausveg
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