BRANCHED BROOMRAPE

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (14:48): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries a question about branched broomrape eradication.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: Branched broomrape is a parasitic weed of a wide range of broad leaf crops in the Mediterranean, Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, South Africa and Northern Central America. Broomrapes are root parasites that extract all their nutrient requirements from their host plants. We have had a significant issue with branched broomrape in the Murraylands, where a very large area was identified as having infestations of this parasite.

About 10 years ago, a program was established to work towards the eradication of branched broomrape in South Australia. Funding for the program has a national component and a state component and has been over $4.2 million per year, of which the national component was $2.5 million. There has also been involvement from local government and from landowners.

The imminent loss of commonwealth funding support for the Branched Broomrape Eradication Program and this Labor government's policy of full cost recovery threatens to add an unreasonable cost burden to individual farmers in the affected area. The threat this weed represents to agricultural production and export markets goes far beyond those farming in the affected area. My questions to the minister are:

1. How does the government propose to continue the branched broomrape program?

2. What financial contribution is it expecting from the South Australian agricultural industry?

3. Who in particular will be asked to contribute those funds?

4. Will the government guarantee its contribution to the program past June 2012?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (14:50): I thank the honourable member for his important question. Indeed, branched broomrape is a plant parasite which has been managed under the national eradication program since 2001. A review of the program was released in May this year, and the technical review panel concluded that the eradication of this weed was no longer technically feasible.

This funding was accepted by the national management group for weeds, the body responsible for oversight of this nationally funded program. National funding of $2.6 million and the state's initiatives of $1.95 million continue until June 2012 to support necessary elements of the current program and provide for transition to another management program for this weed.

A national steering committee that has been chaired by PIRSA with members from the commonwealth and state government agencies, an important link to industries through Plant Health Australia, is currently preparing a new management plan for implementation in July 2012. The steering committee is working on scenarios for management that range from controlled containment to product quality assurance and the potential to pursue property freedom. The steering committee is working closely with exporters of an at-risk product to re-establish the relative importance of the weed and guide the form of the new program.

The community focus group and the ministerial advisory committee are obviously going to play a very important part in the preparation of any proposal, and the aim is to have the plan ready by the New Year so that farmers and affected industries can prepare for the 2012 production year, knowing what the new operational mechanisms are going to be.

The spring discovery and market assurance survey that provides for open marketing of produce from the quarantine area is well underway, I am advised, and, obviously, seasonal conditions were unusual and also ideal for the growth of branched broomrape, and this is being reflected by survey results which show that a little more of the weed is emerging than would have been desirable previously.

As honourable members know, all funding considerations have to undergo a budgetary process. This is an important initiative. It is important to our primary industries. The funding allocation will be considered through that process.