Investigating alternative crops for properties with TR4

The Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) has been working with growers, scientists and biosecurity experts to explore the possibility of growing other crops on land affected by Panama disease tropical race 4 – without putting the rest of industry at increased risk. It’s now been a decade since the disease was first detected in Tully, and Australia’s success in slowing its spread has been recognised across the globe. This is due to the commitment of growers affected, with support from industry and government. 

Acknowledging this and at the request of industry, ABGC has been investigating opportunities for land that has largely been locked down after a detection. In the first instance, the thorough risk assessment and mitigation process has focussed on the background risk of spread (like water or feral pigs) and the request to grow cane. There has also been consultation across a broad cross section of the banana industry.

To find out more about this process, you can view the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ under the ‘Resources’ tab on this website.

Going forward, it’s important to note that this process will be a case-by-case and involve mitigation measures that are specific to farms and operational practices. 

As always, your best defence against Panama TR4 and a range of other pests and diseases, is strong biosecurity on your own property.

For more information, reach out to the Grower Support (Biosecurity) team any time.

growersupport@abgc.org.au