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Citrus grower faced court on plant smuggling
15 Jul 2004
The Filipino millionaire who owns Evergreen Farms, the Queensland property hit by citrus canker, was accused of illegally importing plant cuttings and seeds three years ago. In August 2001, Philip Cea's Evergreen Farms orchard near Emerald was subject to a quarantine order after a production manager alleged Mr Cea had smuggled plant stock.
According to court records, the manager said that between September and November 2000, Mr Cea imported grape cuttings from California, citrus and lychee cuttings from China, papaw seeds from the Philippines and water melon seeds from China - all without quarantine approval. According to evidence presented to the court, the cuttings were grafted on to vines and trees at Evergreen Farms. AQIS was unable to locate them during a search, however, and were concerned they had been removed.
The 2001 quarantine investigation identified a form of citrus tristeza virus. The evidence was considered insufficient to support a prosecution.
The Courier-Mail, 15/7/04.
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