Member for Nanango, Deb Frecklington has led calls on the Federal Government to suspend all peanut imports from Argentina pending an immediate review of all associated risks following an outbreak of smut disease.
Mrs Frecklington joined with the LNP’s Shadow Agriculture Minister Dale Last, to highlight growers concerns about ‘Peanut Smut’ which is widespread across Argentinian growing areas.
“The South Burnett is a major peanut growing region and local growers approached me about their very real concerns.
“The big danger is that if smut became established here, there is no way it could be eradicated.
“It is a disease that causes big production losses of up to 20 per cent and more, and once land becomes infected it has to be taken out of production,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“We need to keep our peanut industry smut-free.”
Mrs Frecklington said Kingaroy growers were not impressed with comments from Canberra bureaucrats about “risk-based biosecurity” and the government’s ability to respond to “new and emerging international pest and disease threats.”
“Until there can be an iron-clad guarantee from Canberra that there is no risk from bringing smut in from Argentina, then imports should cease,” Deb said.
LNP Shadow Agriculture Minister, Dale Last agreed that imports of raw and unshelled nuts posed an unaccepted risk to the state’s peanut industry near Kingaroy.
“Pending the outcome, the review could facilitate resumption of imports of lower risk processed peanuts,” Mr Last said
“The last thing Queensland agriculture needs is another exotic disease or pest. If there’s any level of risk then imports must stop.”
Mr Last said it was time to shut the door on any new biosecurity risk given the recent devastation of southern Queensland prawn farms by white spot disease, Panama disease in bananas in North Queensland and the on-going spread of Asian honey bees – carriers of the highly-destructive Verroa mites that could wipe out the local honey industry.
Photo: With Rob Patch from the Peanut Van.
