Banana disease there to stay

AUSTRALIA: The devastating Panama disease found on a north Queensland banana farm cannot be eradicated, state Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne says.

Speaking during a budget estimates hearing about the government’s response to the disease after it was discovered on a Tully Valley farm earlier in July, Byrne said the disease could not be wiped out. ’’It is important that the committee appreciate that Panama tropical race 4 is considered to be not technically feasible for eradication and as such there are no national cost-sharing arrangements,’’ he said.

A Cavendish banana farm near the property that was first infected in Tully in 2015 tested positive for the disease this month. - AAP