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Burn-off casts pall over citrus pariah
14 Jul 2004
About 2,500 citrus trees were torched yesterday near the central Queensland town of Emerald at the start of an operation to rid Australia of citrus canker. The fires on Evergreen Farm will continue until the destruction of 8,000 trees is complete.
The international protocol the response team is following calls for the destruction of not just infected trees, but all trees in a 600m area around them. Based on the average land density, 600m equates to between 45,000 and 60,000 trees to be destroyed.
The Department of Primary Industries admitted it could take well over a year to determine how the disease arrived in Emerald. It will involve tracing the transfer of cuttings to the infected Evergreen Farm.
The Australian, 14/7/04.
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