Second case of feared banana disease confirmed in Australia

By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) – A second case of a destructive disease affecting banana plants has been confirmed in Australia, dashing hopes that a recently confirmed outbreak would be isolated and threatening the country’s A$550 million ($423 million) sector. The so-called Tropical Race 4 strain of Panama disease was found at a farm in Mareeba in the far north of Queensland, the local government said on Thursday. It comes a month after the discovery of the first case in Queensland at a farm in Tully. Now, with a second case some 200 km (124 miles) from the original outbreak, the banana industry is concerned the disease may spread to other parts of the country’s largest banana-producing state.
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