Myrtle rust keeps harvester in east19-Sep-2011Myrtle rust has...

Myrtle rust keeps harvester in east
19-Sep-2011

Myrtle rust has indefinitely delayed the much-awaited return of the mallee harvester to Western Australia, the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre announced today.

Peter Zurzolo, Deputy CEO of Future Farm Industries CRC, said that until the risks and possible control methods were evaluated it would be unwise to bring the harvester back to WA.

“We took a tough decision,” Mr Zurzolo said. “The mallee harvester has been used in trials on the eastern seaboard near areas that are affected by myrtle rust. Based on expert advice we could not guarantee that the harvester is not contaminated with myrtle rust spores.”

Myrtle rust is a fungal pathogen that affects plants belonging to the Myrtaceae family, which includes eucalypts, myrtles and bottlebrushes. The rust is native to South America and is also found in parts of the United States of America and Central America. In Australia, it was first detected on the central coast of New South Wales in late April 2011. It has spread to numerous near-coastal locations in New South Wales and Queensland.

“There is no evidence that myrtle rust is in Western Australia and bringing myrtaceous plants into WA from other states has been prohibited. If it gets in here, it could be devastating. This pathogen affects and may kill some Australian plants, including eucalypts. It has the potential to affect the natural environment and some industries,” Mr Zurzolo said.

“We know that mallee growers in WA are keen to see the new prototype harvester in action and we had planned to give them that opportunity later this month. Unfortunately that will not happen for the time being.

Lex Hardie, President of the Oil Mallee Association said he supported the decision not to bring the harvester to WA at this stage.

“Of course it is disappointing that mallee growers here won’t get to see the harvester in action in the near future. But if it did come back and brought myrtle rust with it, serious damage to some plant industries and the environment is likely, and none of us want that. Future Farm CRC’s decision is sensible,” Mr Hardie said.

Mr Zurzolo said that research on the harvester was continuing and Biosystems Engineering, the machine’s developer, was on track to proving its effectiveness and reliability.

“The original plan was to run the final trials of the harvester in WA but they will now be conducted in eastern Australia,” Mr Zurzolo said.

“The primary funds for the project were provided by the WA-Government Low Emissions Energy Development (LEED) fund and we are now working with LEED to ensure they are satisfied with the new arrangements.”

“Our determination to see a mallee industry up and running, with a secure supply chain, including an efficient and economic harvester, has not lapsed in any way. Our work with our partners in the biofuel industry is proceeding apace. Myrtle rust has only changed the location at which some of our trials will be conducted. Everything else is proceeding well,” Mr Zurzolo said.

He said the decision not to bring the prototype harvester across was made internally within Future Farm CRC and that it was not a regulatory requirement.

“We took advice on if and how we could decontaminate the harvester and what quarantine requirements would be necessary. On the basis of that information, and in light of how serious a myrtle rust outbreak in WA could be, we acted cautiously and decided not to bring the harvester back to WA at this stage.

“Also based on that advice, we are working on what hygiene measures we could take from now to allow us to bring the prototype harvester to WA at some future time. We do not want to be the ones to bring myrtle rust to WA. We will not risk doing so,” Mr Zurzolo said.


Information about Myrtle rust can be obtained on the AQIS website.

Information on the mallee harvester is available on the Future Farm Industries CRC website.

Media Enquiries: Jill Griffiths, M: 0418 243 655
E: [email protected]

Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre aims to transform Australian agriculture and rural landscapes by developing and applying Profitable Perennials™ technologies to innovative farming systems and new regional industries.


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