Dated: 15 December 2010
Tasmanian farmers today welcomed the news that the state is officially free of the pest, Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) (Globodera rostochiensis, G. pallida).
They are tiny roundworms found in the roots of potatoes which can devastate up to 60 per cent of a crop.
Tasmania is the only state in Australia where PCN has never been detected. However, since the pest was detected in Victoria in 1991, Tasmanian-grown potatoes have been regularly surveyed by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment and its predecessors to ensure that pest-free status is protected.
The Department has now announced that, after not finding any sign of PCN for 19 years, “we have more than enough data to declare ourselves free of PCN and no further need to continue the annual survey”. This means that Tasmania has been recognised nationally as having area freedom from PCN. A formal claim has also been lodged with the Australian secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) for international recognition of Tasmania’s freedom from PCN.
Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive Jan Davis said this declaration should place Tasmanian potatoes at a considerable advantage.
“It is a credit to our growers and to our biosecurity regime that we have remained free of this devastating pest,” she said. “Let’s keep it that way.”
Link:
http://www.csiro.au/resources/Potato-Cyst-Nematode-Australia.html
Jan Davis http://www.tfga.com.au/
