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| Rural Industries |
Pest, weed and disease
control costs Australian farmers an estimated $800 million per
year in chemical and biological control agents before the addition
of application costs. Yet without their application an estimated
one third of the harvest, valued around $3 billion in 1990, would
be lost to pests and diseases.
While pest and disease control is a major economic
issue to rural industries, it is also a significant social issue
for the community in general which is becoming increasingly concerned
about possible harmful effects of residual chemicals in the environment
and in food or fibre products.
Pest and disease control is also of multi-commodity
concern and while the control of individual pests may be beyond
the capability of a particular sector it could be within the resource
capability of the industry as a whole. RIRDC recognises a need
to work closely with other rural industry research funding corporations
and research agencies in pest and disease control and to take
a lead role in co-ordination of effort in some circumstances.
The Corporation believes there is an urgent need to reduce the environmental and social impacts on other industries associated with both chemical and biological pest and disease control. It also recognises that pests and diseases are part of a biological system themselves, are continually evolving, and therefore will require ongoing attention.
Last updated: 10 October 1996
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