Importance of pest and disease management

Here are six reasons why good pest & disease management is crucial to Tasmania.

1. It protects our environment

Pests and diseases can have strong negative impacts on the wider environment or our way of life when they are unmanaged.

2. It reduces fruit damage and food waste

No-one wants to buy or consume fruit containing pests. Many pests cause damage to fruit that can make it unacceptable to retailers and consumers, such as skin blemishes and scars, holes, pock marks, lesions and rots. Good pest management means growers have less damaged and wasted fruit, and more saleable fruit.

3. It prevents new pests from becoming established

Good pest management practices can help you detect and eradicate new pests before they become permanently established in the state or your production areas, reducing the number of pests you have to manage.

4. It improves plant health and productivity

Healthy plants are more productive and produce better fruit.

5. It is a legal requirement

Tasmania’s laws require fruit growers and other primary producers to manage pests within their land, prevent these pests from impacting upon other landholders, and report the presence of any potentially exotic pests.

6. It is requirement for accessing many markets

Interstate and international trading partners expect Tasmania’s fruit producers to maintain effective pest monitoring and management systems in place to manage pests of trade significance, and may close access to markets if this is not complied with.