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Infected citrus seized at Melbourne Airport
18 December 2000
Australian Quarantine officers have moved quickly to identify and destroy infected citrus fruit seized at Melbourne Airport recently.
The fruit — which could have had a disastrous effect on Victoria's multi-million dollar citrus industry — was identified with citrus diseases by AQIS plant pathologists based at Knoxfield in Victoria and Eastern Creek, NSW.
The infected fruit was found in two separate airport luggage inspections made last month. The first seizure was of oranges found by AQIS officer Bruce Hawker during a routine luggage inspection from a Vietnam flight. The fruit was submitted for testing by AQIS plant pathologists who found it to be infected with the quarantinable citrus disease Guignardia citicarpa (Black Spot of Citrus). The symptoms on the fruit were quite distinct, they had sunken reddish lesions with small black spotting in the centre.
The second seizure was made by AQIS officer Doug Ivill who seized limes brought in by passengers on a flight out of Thailand. The limes were discovered using X-ray equipment on arriving luggage. Testing has shown these fruit to be infected with Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Citri (Citrus Canker).
The seizure of this diseased citrus shows yet again the importance of international travellers declaring items of quarantine concern when coming into Australia.
Both sets of fruit were promptly destroyed by AQIS.
For more details
Contact: Michael Scammell - Media and Public Awareness
Phone: (03) 9246 6885
Mobile: 0408 467 357