Celery and carrot industries under threat: quarantine starts in October

Tuesday, 26 August, 2014

Australia will implement emergency quarantine measures from 20 October 2014 to protect the carrot and celery industries from an exotic bacterial pathogen that has become widespread in Europe.

The pathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum, causes leaf curling, leaf yellowing, stunting and root abnormalities in carrots and celery.

“The government’s first priority is to protect our domestic industries from this exotic threat. Australia’s carrot industry is worth more than $190 million a year, with celery valued at about $34 million,” said Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce.

“The emergency biosecurity measures will be implemented by 20 October 2014 in order to provide certainty to seed importers and producers against the emerging threat; however, given that this bacterium has been identified early, there is no immediate threat to our domestic industries.”

The bacterium has spread rapidly across parts of Europe, including France, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Morocco. Minister Joyce says that emergency measures will apply to relevant imports from any country of origin.

“The evidence suggests this bacterium is spreading through the trade of carrot seeds and tissue culture, which is a significant concern to our industries,” Minister Joyce said.

“Most Australian carrot crops are grown from imported seed, so the Australian carrot industry needs continued importation.”

The emergency quarantine measures include heat treatment or molecular testing for carrot seeds, as well as screening in post-entry quarantine facilities and molecular testing for carrot and celery tissue cultures.

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