The recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Indonesia is not the only biosecurity battle farmers in WA’s easternmost farming region are preparing for.
Key points:
- WA’s first detection of myrtle rust has been confirmed in the East Kimberley
- Sandalwood producer Santanol has put trial of a promising new crop on hold
- There has been a 50% jump in quarantine material collected at the WA/NT border
As the only growing region in WA that lies on the interstate border, the Ord Valley’s irrigated horticulture, broad-crop and sandalwood industries are on high alert as various pests and diseases of dangerous plants creep further west.
Located just 40 kilometers from the WA border with the Northern Territory on the outskirts of Kununurra, it is no stranger to biosecurity forays.
It’s where the cane toad first crossed into the state more than a decade ago, and where the fall armyworm hit WA’s first broadleaf crops in 2020.
It’s also near where myrtle rust was first found two months ago.
Mango bud disease and banana spot are feared to be next after they were detected in the Northern Territory this year.
New promising project on hold
David Brocklehurst says the detection of myrtle rust has put a new project on hold. (ABC Kimberley: Courtney Fowler)
Sandalwood grower Santanol is among those hardest hit by the detection of myrtle rust at an East Kimberley pastoral station in June.
Myrtle rust is a fungal disease that can infect and kill plants in the Myrtaceae family, such as eucalyptus, brush, paperbark and mint trees.
While the disease poses no threat to Santanol’s main sandalwood operation near Kununurra, a new pilot project targeting the cut flower and aromatic oil markets has been halted as a result of its spread in WA .
For commercial reasons, Santanol remains tight-lipped about the species of plant used in the pilot, but has confirmed that it is part of the myrtaceae family.
Chief executive David Brocklehurst said plans to expand the crop in extensive trials this dry season were now too risky.
“We’re very concerned that if rust gets here and we just plant 100,000 plants, we’d actually end up with nothing,” Brocklehurst said.
“We’re keeping the plants well in quarantine and we’ll see how this plays out.”
The Department of Primary Industries said there had been no further detections of myrtle oxide since its initial detection in June.
Horticultural sector on alert
Steve Angel is concerned about the detection of mango outbreaks in the Northern Territory. (ABC Kimberley: Stephanie Sinclair)
Meanwhile, the recent spread of mango arch in the Northern Territory and detections of varroa mites in New South Wales have put Ord Valley mango growers on edge.
The mango shoot looper is an invasive pest that attacks mango and lychee plants while the varroa mite targets bees, which play a key role in the pollination of various horticultural crops.
Swag Rural manager Steve Angel, who looks after WA’s largest mango orchard just outside Kununurra, said he had limited vehicle movements throughout the property.
Mr Angel said he was also carrying out regular inspections of the orchard to make sure there were no signs of the pests.
He said the spread of any disease in WA would be devastating.
“If we didn’t control them and have preventative measures, there would be no point in being here,” Angel said.
“People need to be up front and aware, not in the back waiting for something, making contingency plans.
“We want to keep it out.”
Quarantine volumes increase
A quarantine inspector checks a vehicle near Kununurra. (ABC Kimberley: Stephanie Sinclair)
Officers at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s quarantine checkpoint near Kununurra are the last line of defense to protect the region from threats approaching the border.
According to new figures for the 2021-22 financial year, more than 14,000 kilograms of quarantine risk material were detected at the checkpoint, more than 50 percent more than the previous year.
Supervising Inspector Kenneth Bin Jacob said while the lifting of WA’s COVID-19 border restrictions was a major contributor to the jump, the long-term trend showed more risk material was being collected each year.
“We see an increase every year, a slight increase,” he said.
“It never goes back.”
Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the State Government had increased its biosecurity efforts in response to outbreaks of plant diseases and pests in the Northern Territory.
“We are very aware of the risks of banana leaf spot and mango shoot and are working with growers to increase our surveillance and movement control,” he said.
“We’re also developing a wider biosecurity awareness program that we’re going to target punters, making sure people understand they have a role to play.”
The increased concern about plant biosecurity comes at a time when pastoralists in the Kimberley are on alert for animal infections that have spread in Indonesia, including foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease.
Local news straight to your inbox
ABC Kimberley will deliver a summary of the week’s news, stories and photos every Tuesday. Sign up to stay connected.