New rules to combat one the banana industry's most devastating diseases will reduce red tape and increase flexibility for growers and gardeners on the NSW north coast.
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Chief Plant Protection Officer Dr Satendra Kumar said a new control order would ensure banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) is managed in line with current industry practices in NSW.
"NSW DPI has worked with the Australian Banana Growers Council and the National Banana Bunchy Top Project to update the control order to give more flexibility when sourcing planting material", Dr Kumar said.
The key change to the Control Order is in relation to moving banana planting material within the Banana Bunchy Top Control Zone.
"Whilst moving planting material within the zone was previously strictly regulated, it is now more freely allowed provided that the person moving the planting material ensures they are visibly free of disease", Dr Kumar said.
The new rules also reduce red tape by allowing growers and gardeners to notify DPI only when planting rather than moving planting material and allow notification to be given up to 7 days after planting instead of six months before.
"This update should help avoid any confusion about when a notification form must be sent and will still provide timely location information to the program and better suit the wide range of persons planting bananas", Dr Kumar said.
Requirements in relation to the notification of suspect BBTV, clearing weeds around plants and the destruction of aphids and infected plants remain unchanged.
Banana bunchy top disease infects cultivated and wild bananas and is caused by the banana bunchy top virus (BBTV). Banana plants infected with BBTV rarely produce fruit and if fruit is produced, it is small, deformed and unmarketable.
The new Biosecurity (Banana Bunchy Top Virus) Control Order 2021 will come into effect on 1 October, 2021.
