Mop-top potato virus detected for first time in Australia
Biosecurity Tasmania were alerted to the virus and established an incident management team after diagnostic testing confirmed the outbreak on a single farm in July.
The Biosecurity website says the virus comes from exotic plants and could be transmitted by soil-borne pathogens that cause powdery scabs in potatoes, reducing the vegetable's quality and crop yields.
Affected potatoes become distorted and the skin cracks with rust coloured arcs, streaks or flecks that can be seen in the flesh.
There are no risks to food safety or human health associated with the virus and affected potatoes are safe to consume.
Biosecurity Tasmania's chief plant protection officer Susanna Driessen told media a farmer alerted authorities earlier this year and they were working to find out how far spread or limited the virus might be.
'We are working with the grower to understand where material might have moved and also how material came onto the property,' she said.
'This constitutes the first detection of mop-top virus in Australia, it may not represent the site of introduction.
'We're quite early in the stage of this detection. What we're doing at the moment is working with industry, working with the grower to understand where material might have moved and also how potentially material came onto the property.'
Primary Industries Minister Gavin Pearce is a potato farmer in Tasmania's northwest and told media he wanted the matter dealt with straightaway.
'Biosecurity is incredibly important to me, it's incredibly important to this state,' he said.
'It underpins our viability and it underpins many industries that work very hard to achieve the results that they have.
'We've got a plan in progress now that delivers on that posture and helps our industry.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Preventable': Disturbing statistics reveal deadly problem across major state
Victoria has been rocked by the highest number of fatal overdoses in a decade, with nearly 600 residents dying from drug overdoses last year alone. Ten years ago, illicit drugs contributed to less than half of all overdose deaths. In 2024, the Coroners Court found this figure increased to 65.6 per cent. Ten years ago, illicit drugs contributed to less than half of all overdose deaths. In 2024, the Coroners Court found this figure increased to 65.6 per cent. It's a figure increasing yearly, with 584 Victorian residents dying from drug overdoses in 2024, up from 547 the year before and 552 in 2022. Heroin contributed to 248 deaths in the state, and 215 deaths were related to methamphetamine – a stat that has tripled since 2015. The majority of all overdose deaths occurred in metropolitan Melbourne, with about 75 per cent being unintentional. Monash University Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri told NewsWire the bleak new figures were a reminder of the lack of treatment available for opioid addictions. 'Each of these 584 deaths represents a life lost unnecessarily,' she said. 'Behind every statistic is someone's loved one, a friend, a sibling, a parent.' Worryingly, the majority of the fatal overdoses were men, who made up two-thirds of total deaths over the past decade. Ms Arunogiri said there was a 'strong connection' between drug abuse and mental health, especially if people lacked access to mental health support and effective treatment and instead turned to substances as their 'only available relief'. 'People often turn to substances as a way of coping with untreated trauma, anxiety, depression or other psychological distress,' she said. 'This is why integrated care that treats both mental health and substance use is so important.' The increase in fatal heroin and methamphetamine overdoses was 'particularly concerning', Ms Arunogiri said, as harm reduction methods were available to prevent further deaths. 'The positive here is that solutions do exist, we just need to implement what works,' she said. 'Expanding medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction must be a priority, given heroin's role as the top contributor.' Ms Arunogiri said lifesaving medications needed to be provided at a faster rate to prevent overdoses. 'Medications like methadone and buprenorphine can reduce the risk of overdose, but people often face long waits for care,' she said. 'Effective measures like drug checking and expanding access to opioid overdose reversal medications, such as naloxone, is also critical.' Penington Institute chief executive John Ryan said 'too many Australians are dying from preventable drug overdoses' and argued governments were '(refusing) to fully embrace measures to drive down this horrific toll'. 'We're still not spending enough money on proven harm reduction initiatives like drug testing, supervised injecting, community education and the wide provision of the anti-overdose drug naloxone,' he said. In May, the Victorian government introduced its take-home naloxone program, which was expanded across 50 needle and syringe program providers, including over the counter at pharmacies, at the Medically Supervised Injecting Room and via prescription to expand access to the medication. Ms Arunogiri said these were 'important steps' to preventing further harm. 'These evidence-based interventions are crucial, but we need further investment to make sure everyone can access the health care they need,' she said. 'The most devastating thing is that we know these deaths were preventable. 'We understand what works – effective medications, harm reduction services, early intervention, but we need to remove the barriers that keep people from accessing the healthcare we all deserve.'
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- News.com.au
How king of spin Shane Warne is saving thousands of Aussies in his ultimate legacy
Shane Warne will be remembered as one of Australia's all-time sporting greats – but his greatest legacy may be saving thousands of lives. The spin king died suddenly of a heart attack while holidaying in Thailand in March 2022. His death shocked the nation and untold millions of cricket lovers across the globe. But it also spurred the launch of the Shane Warne Legacy, which over the summer rolled out a national heart health screening initiative. The foundation hopes that Warne's untimely death can be a catalyst for change and help Australians identify the warning signs. As part of the initiative, over 76,000 Australians were screened at pharmacies across the country and the Boxing Day Test. The results of the Monash University-led study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, have revealed that seven out of 10 Australians screened had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. 'They identified thousands of Australians at risk, many of whom hadn't had a blood pressure check in the past year,' Dr Sean Tan said. 'Meeting people where they are, whether that's at their local pharmacy or the MCG, can make all the difference to health outcomes.' The checks found that just shy of 69 per cent of people had a risk factor for heart disease such as elevated blood pressure, being overweight or obese, or smoking. It also found half of the people with high blood pressure hadn't had a check in the last year. Helen Nolan, Warne's long-time personal assistant and now the CEO of the Shane Warne Legacy, said she hoped the leg spin great's death could be lead to change. 'Shane was loved by Australians from all walks of life and we knew we had a platform to do something meaningful,' Ms Nolan said. 'These results are bittersweet. We're proud to have helped thousands take their heart health seriously but we know there's still work to do. Shane would have wanted this to make a massive difference.'
The Australian
10 hours ago
- The Australian
Shane Warne: How spin king is saving thousands of Aussies
Shane Warne will be remembered as one of Australia's all-time sporting greats – but his greatest legacy may be saving thousands of lives. The spin king died suddenly of a heart attack while holidaying in Thailand in March 2022. His death shocked the nation and untold millions of cricket lovers across the globe. But it also spurred the launch of the Shane Warne Legacy, which over the summer rolled out a national heart health screening initiative. The foundation hopes that Warne's untimely death can be a catalyst for change and help Australians identify the warning signs. Spin king Shane Warne. Photo: AP/Themba Hadebe. As part of the initiative, over 76,000 Australians were screened at pharmacies across the country and the Boxing Day Test. The results of the Monash University-led study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, have revealed that seven out of 10 Australians screened had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. 'They identified thousands of Australians at risk, many of whom hadn't had a blood pressure check in the past year,' Dr Sean Tan said. 'Meeting people where they are, whether that's at their local pharmacy or the MCG, can make all the difference to health outcomes.' The checks found that just shy of 69 per cent of people had a risk factor for heart disease such as elevated blood pressure, being overweight or obese, or smoking. Shane Warne's daughters Brooke and Summer Warne with one of the check up machines at the MCG. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw It also found half of the people with high blood pressure hadn't had a check in the last year. Helen Nolan, Warne's long-time personal assistant and now the CEO of the Shane Warne Legacy, said she hoped the leg spin great's death could be lead to change. 'Shane was loved by Australians from all walks of life and we knew we had a platform to do something meaningful,' Ms Nolan said. 'These results are bittersweet. We're proud to have helped thousands take their heart health seriously but we know there's still work to do. Shane would have wanted this to make a massive difference.' Steve Zemek Court reporter Steve Zemek began his career in his native Queensland before moving to Sydney with Australian Associated Press in 2014. He worked as an NRL journalist for five seasons, covering the game all over Australia and in New Zealand before making a career pivot towards court reporting in 2019. He joined NCA NewsWire in mid 2020 as a Sydney-based court reporter where he has covered some of the state's biggest cases. @stevezemek
