Malaysian fruit sparks warning
Chris Fullerton, a fourth generation farmer, from Glasshouse, said an Impact Risk Assessment which dismissed growers' concerns about disease threats defied common sense.
The IRA by the federal department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry assessed the risk of the bacterial pathogen which causes fruit collapse and heart rot spreading from Malaysian imports to Australian pineapple crops as "very low".
The bacteria, erwinia chrysanthemi, can be spread from infected fruit to clean fruit by insects and birds.
Mr Fullerton described it as "the citrus canker of pineapples" and capable of devastating the local industry because it was easily spread and there was no known control.
The imported pineapples would be sprayed with methyl bromide upon entry but Mr Fullerton was still not confident of the protection offered, and said it made no sense to add another chemical to people's diets.
He said there was no reason to import pineapples because Australia had, if anything, an oversupply.
"We don't have this pathogen in the country now. What good is it going to be to the public when we already have enough fruit here to supply demand?" he said.
"The worst thing is that it will threaten the food security of generations to come."
Mr Fullerton said growers had 30 days to respond to the IRA but Growcom chief executive Alex Livingston said any further action could only be based upon the processes behind the report.
Mr Fullerton urged anyone concerned about the threat posed by Malaysian pineapples to voice their concern to their local federal MP.
Source: www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au