The Australian citrus industry has joined forces with the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning to check citrus trees in the Sunraysia region for the presence of key biosecurity threats (Asian Psyllids). It is the first time that the citrus industry and government have worked together in this way to boost protection against serious exotic diseases that could devastate the industry. Combining industry and government resources provides the best chance of protecting the country’s citrus orchards from exotic diseases. The citrus industry is supplying the traps for the surveillance program along with some technical and logistical support, and and the governmental agency is providing the personnel for the work.
It might seem strange to be checking for diseases we don’t have in Australia, but if a serious pest such as the Asian citrus psyllid and the devastating disease it carries, Huanglongbing (HLB) was to make it through border security, early detection would be vital.
The area would immediately be quarantined so that we could contain the pest and if we were fast enough to find it, we would try to eradicate it from Australia.
Millet
Topic: Now Australia Steps Up HLB Survaillance (Read 962 times)