Rally around banana family

THE community will be feeling for the region’s banana industry with another suspected Panama Tropical Race 4 outbreak on a Tully property owned by the giant Mackays Bananas family operation.

It comes more than two years since the first outbreak threw the region’s $560 million a year sector into turmoil.

Mackays Bananas and other banana farmers now have to anxiously wait for up to six weeks for a final positive result.

Mackays Bananas already had strict biosecurity measures in place and have started erecting exclusion fencing around the area to minimise the potential risk of the disease spreading.

Panama TR4 disease was first detected on Cavendish banana plants on the Robson farm in the Tully Valley on March 3, 2015. Bevan Robson and his family went through hell until a $4.5 million buyout by the Australian Banana Growers Council was finally approved last year.

Banana growers paid for twothirds of the buyout through an increased industry levy with the Federal Government chipping in $1.5 million as well as a $3.3 million loan.

Once settlement was reached all banana farming activity ceased on the site and all banana plants on the property were destroyed.

Mackays Bananas are a well respected and third generation banana producing family who employ 400 staff on five properties covering 3600 hectares in the Tully area. They have been successfully producing the fruit for 65 years.

The outbreak will be devastating for the Mackays who are Australia’s largest producer.

They are a proud and resilient family who will do everything they can to beat this adversity. Nick Dalton nick.dalton@news.com.au