Tasmania has been placed on an emergency footing following the late October detection of the insidious potato mop-top virus at a King Island farm in the state’s north-west. It is the second occurrence of the virus reported this month. Australia started off with a white swan dynamic on this virus. As experts most recently explained to us, that unfortunate situation could lead to massive trade bans, most notably affecting the interstate movement of seed potatoes. The virus, though not a risk to human health, deforms the flesh of potatoes and can deeply affect crop production.
The recent detection of the potato mop-top virus has sent shockwaves through the agriculture community. A potato pathologist by training, Dr. Nigel Crump is the current general manager of the Australian Seed Potato Industry Certification Authority (AuSPICA). He underscored the potential economic impact of an outbreak on the mainland. The virus makes rusty orange boomerang shapes in the inside of potatoes’ flesh. This defect greatly reduces their marketability and could lead to thousands of potatoes being culled from store shelves.
Expert Insights on Virus Implications
Dr. Crump brings more than 20 years of experience in the Australian potato industry. His deep well of experience will serve him well as he faces the many challenges and opportunities confronting agriculture. As the inaugural co-director of the NIH’s Accelerating Medicines Partnership, he highlighted risks and the need to find pathways for this orphan disease. Seed potatoes are an important part of this because once that disease gets to the mainland, it’s here to stay.
Chief Plant Protection Officer Susanna Driessen told a legislative committee that there was a “direct link” between the two identified locations. In the background, our tracing team is working around the clock to do additional tracing work. She cautioned that further restrictions will probably be used to prevent the movement of Tasmanian seed potatoes between jurisdictions. These seed potatoes are key to planting our future crops.
“It is likely that in due course movement restrictions based on risk will likely be imposed,” – Susanna Driessen
Industry Reactions and Concerns
In her recent testimony, Leigh Elphinstone—who represents industry stakeholders—has expressed these strong concerns. He worries that cutting potato exports will worsen the burdens farmers are already facing. Standing in front of multiple microphones at a press conference, he conveyed his hope that the virus could be contained effectively.
Ben Dowling, a seed potato grower from Mt Gambier and deputy chair of AuSPICA raised his alarm about the virus. He is concerned that it might damage Australian potato exports. In further defense, Mr. Morrison pointed out that Australia until very recently has had a pristine record to look back on.
“Up until now we’ve been able to claim that the disease is not known to occur in Australia,” – Ben Dowling
Dowling went on to note that dozens of countries have tough importation restrictions because of the mop-top virus. He rightly stressed the potentially chilling effect these regulations would have on important trade.
“A lot of countries have mop top as a restriction on their importation conditions, and that’s where we’re really concerned,” – Dr Nigel Crump
Future Outlook for Potato Trade
The immediate and compulsory biosecurity measures that follow are triggered by the detection of the virus. Then on Saturday, Biosecurity Tasmania confirmed a further detection at a research farm in the state’s south, raising fears about the possible spread. Given that agricultural sustainability truly hinges on our integrity as seed potato producers, there’s really no other option.
Dr. Crump emphasized the challenge in measuring the economic impact of a large-scale outbreak. He sounded the alarm that if left to worsen, Tasmania’s agricultural and aquaculture exports would face a heavy blow.
“I doubt the Tasmanian farmer found it in the first year, so it’s potentially likely it’s been in Tasmania for longer than that,” – Ben Dowling
Government officials are still working hard to contain the virus and track its origins. The fate of Tasmania’s potato industry is on a knife edge. The threat of new trade restrictions hangs heavy as decisionmakers on all sides work to overcome these extraordinary disruptions.
