Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:43): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries about tomato brown rugose virus.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: The National Management Group last week determined that the virus was not technically feasible to eradicate. This was mainly due to the discovery of a new infection emanating from plants propagated in New South Wales that was not linked to any earlier outbreaks. The only reason the infected plants were discovered was that they were received at a facility subject to section 9 orders, where plants were being routinely tested. It is an unavoidable conclusion that the virus is active in undiscovered locations. Currently, Queensland still has a trade restriction in place, with testing required for tomatoes from South Australia being sent to Queensland but no similar restriction on Queensland tomatoes coming into South Australia, leading to the inequity of market access at this time. My questions to the minister are:

1. What measures is the minister taking to advocate for a level playing field to ensure equal market access for South Australian tomato producers willing to sell to interstate markets?

2. Is the minister advocating for national consistency of market access in the interests of South Australian tomato producers?

3. Is the minister supporting the development of management protocols in the transition to management?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:45): I thank the honourable member for her question. It has been nationally agreed that it is no longer technically feasible to eradicate tomato brown rugose fruit virus from Australia. That followed a meeting last week of the National Management Group. The decision was, in fact, based on a range of factors, including repeated introductions of tomato brown rugose fruit virus via seed; the challenges of finding all sites where it may be present in Australia; the ability of the virus to establish, spread and persist in the environment; challenges in detecting the virus at the low levels required for eradication, especially in seed and seedlings; and the control methods being able to fully remove the virus from infected sites.

The National Management Group is made up of the heads of biosecurity departments from across the country as well as industry representatives, and they make decisions around the feasibility of eradicating various pests and diseases from Australia. Work is now required at the national level to determine how best to manage rather than eradicate this disease in Australia. The current strategy to contain the spread of the virus will remain in place until an agreed long-term management strategy and trade protocol has been developed in consultation with impacted industries.

If South Australia had decided to go to management when the virus was first detected in August last year, over 200 local growers would have been blocked from exporting tomatoes into Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. That is almost certain. As a result of seeking to eradicate the virus—that is, adhering to the national agreed approach—only three out of over 200 local growers had export bans imposed on them. This meant protecting the $230 million tomato and capsicum industry here in South Australia. That does not in any way suggest that it wasn't incredibly difficult for those three businesses who were found to have the virus.

Until last week, every state had a position of eradication of the virus instead of moving to transition. South Australia exports 90 per cent of our tomatoes interstate, and therefore the approach of every other state is incredibly important. I would also just like to remind members that the virus has no known effects on human health, but of course the advice is always to remain vigilant for the disease.

From the latest situation report, 18,786 samples have now been taken for this disease in South Australia, with 10,180 of those samples being taken across South Australian growers to enable access to interstate markets. Enabling access to interstate markets has been the constant focus both for me as minister and also for my department. The fact that South Australian growers were able to continue to trade with a number of other states without restrictions, and continue to trade with Queensland or Western Australia albeit with very robust testing restrictions, was testament to how we were able to protect our industry, with more than 200 growers who were able to continue to trade.

The fresh tomato industry decided nationally to not become a signatory to the national Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed, and I would certainly encourage the industry to consider whether that is their position going forward.

In terms of the specific questions, I am glad the honourable member has asked about the advocacy for market access because that has been the number one consideration throughout the last nine months since the disease was first detected. Market access for our $230 million industry has been the number one, and it is a great testament to the cooperation of South Australia's growers, as well as the work that has been done on an officer level to be able to continue that trade. The national decision now means that transition to management are the protocols that will need to be worked through. My department, of course, is very active in that, and we look forward to being able to update the chamber in the future.