The deadly mantra of free trade has threatened the existence of the $358 million Australian prawn industry after white spot disease contaminated prawn farms in the Logan River south of Brisbane.
Imported raw green prawns from Vietnam, Thailand and China where the highly contagious white spot virus is rampant, have wiped out southern farms, forcing the government to place a ban on imports of green prawns.
Infected prawns die quickly and all the Logan River farms have been destocked in the hope of decontaminating the river.
It is thought that green prawns used for fish bait, were the source of contamination.
Although the virus has no effect upon humans, it would have a serious economic impact on the seafood industry in southern Queensland.
North Queensland farms have not yet contracted the virus and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says the priority was to protect the northern industry which catches 20,000 tonnes of wild prawns and farms another 5200 tonnes worth $86 m annually.
Chinese prawn importer, Sino, had its import licence revoked on Friday and will face serious criminal charges for breaching Australian quarantine laws.
Sino and four other companies allegedly were caught providing samples of non-infected green prawns for biosecurity testing by the Federal Agriculture department when their imported consignments were known to be infected.
Four more foreign importers are in the government sights allegedly for deliberately breaching biosecurity rules.
Other imported products such as cooked, marinated or crumbed prawns do not carry the virus.
Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter whose electorate has a prawn farm, warned the Federal Government not to allow imports from white spot infected countries.
“All other ‘smart’ countries won’t import seafood from a country that has white spot, Mr Katter remarked.
“But we have some of the lowest quarantine protections in the world.
“Quite frankly I can’t think of anything that has been stopped from coming in.
“Out of probably 100 horticultural applications, all have been agreed too, similarly with seafood.
“Australia has for some time been a net importer of seafood. We pleaded with the authorities to refuse the application to bring in imported prawns. They brought in prawns. Now we have white spot.”
The grocery duopoly, Woolworths and Coles, being the largest retailers of imported prawns, have found themselves smack in the middle of the industry crisis, that Logan River farmers say will eventually kill off all farmed prawns.
The duopoly, best known for not supporting local farmers, enforcing low farm-gate prices and dodgy supply contracts has remained quiet, but should take the blame for the impending destruction of the local prawn industry square on the nose.
The Liberal, National and Labor free trade policies have produced the toxic fruit of Australian primary industries.
Fortunately American President-elect Donald Trump has sounded the death knell for free trade but it will be too late for Australia.
The Labor government did a study in 2011 on protecting Australian Jobs and Businesses. It was decided that protecting our jobs and Industries cost too muchand the study was deliberatley derailed. The study was done by Bill Shorten…The liberal party said they would fix the issues if re elected in 2013 as Gillards answer to the failng small business sector was to get a Job in the mines!!They did this to protect the labor vote,. Upon the Libs getting re elected they also decided to back the white paper done by the Labor party to protect Overseas jobs and protecting chinese and any other country exporting goods to our country should be allowed for them in favour of our own economy. Why is this ??? The government ministers get paid on average 250 to 300 K per annum. If your business fails it does not matter the people you elect still get paid. At worst they will do 3 years and earn than most of you. So what I am saying I have received many letters from the Liberal government both Federal and state to say that they Support Bill Sfortens decision. The queensland Prawn industry has only suffered a Loss of 58 million. That is much cheaper then supporting Border force or Farse to protectet these industries. Coles and Wollies prefer to buy chinese Prawns in favor of Aussie ones. Next time you buy a product have a look if the orange juice comes from overseas concentrate. Or the fish is from somwhere else. Go without or put it back on the shelf and go somwhere else and Pay a bit more for it. If you can afford it or go without if you can. Times are tough so the supermarkets offer you a product that you have to afford. Our country is smart and clever enough to grow our own food. Try and buy your own food and put back our non food. 58 million dollars lost for a few prawns on your plate.Surely Aussie prawns are better. I cant comment as I am elergic to prawns!<< But I love Orange Juice and if it is imported from overseas concentrate which gives you cancer I do not buy it!
I find it hard to believe that 5 farms were contaminated by hobby fishers’ use of diseased imported green prawns, one maybe but not 5. More likely it was because the feed was contaminated or unethical practices were going on with the breeding stock. Anything that is grown in unnatural, crowded conditions and fed on processed foods is susceptible to disease and illnesses.
How many other foods are diseased but are still imported for human consumption, while ignoring any potential risks to our own food security?
Not sure where you get your figures from, but according to the recent Green Paper aquaculture (prawns, oyster and fish) generated approximately $120million dollars in 2014-15 year. The Wildcatch harvest totaled $190million (fish, prawns, crabs and scallops) with the prawn sector being the largest by volume and value (at around $85million at beach/wharf price). The total for both aquaculture and Wildcatch harvest was about $311million.
No mention was made that the disease has already contaminated prawns and a crab (only 1 found so far in a drain on one of the prawn farms) so stating that destocking in the hope of decontaminating the river is an insulting and worthless statement. Where were the diseased prawns and polluted water dumped?
It will be much worse if the infection spreads out into Moreton Bay as it then has the potential to decimate the Wild prawn, crab and scallop populations. There was a contamination at Edgecombe Bay in the Bowen area and it took nearly a decade for prawns, scallops and crabs to return to anywhere near previous numbers.
Barnaby Joyce needs to learn a bit more about marine food production, as the Wildcatch Commercial fishing industry in Moreton Bay, mud crabs and prawns (for both human consumption and bait) is very important to our local economies. What about Mooloolaba prawns and the spanner crab industry, crustaceans live all up and down the QLD, and NSW coastlines.
It is obvious that the “precautionary principle” (where every “what if” thought up by greenies and desk jockeys has to be addressed along with the ensuing restrictions, costs and impositions) that the Wildcatch Commercial Fisheries labour under is not a part of the aquaculture Environmental Risk Assessment. Current aquaculture Environmental Risk Assessments are either inadequate, and need to have a major overhaul, or were ignored.
It is ludicrous that Bio-security allow companies to provide samples for testing. Heads need to roll over this. Also, I am not sure why green crumbed or marinated prawns do not carry the virus without testing to prove it.