A MAREEBA banana grower is sleeping a little easier after it was declared his farm was misdiagnosed with Panama disease Tropical Race 4 (TR4).
Biosecurity Queensland confirmed on Tuesday that its extensive testing for the disease on Mark Reppel's property had returned negative, therefore lifting a five-week quarantine on the farm.
Acting chief biosecurity officer Malcolm Letts said the initial positive result received from the property last month using a PCR test proved to be a "false positive".
“The particular diagnostic test used is an internationally-recognised molecular PCR test that was first published in 2010," Mr Letts said.
"Since the initial positive result in early April, we have been conducting further surveillance and testing samples from the property.
"This has been a complex process, but the final definitive vegetative compatibility group (VCG) test result is negative for tropical race 4.
“Extensive investigative work by the diagnostic team involved in the testing indicates that the particular PCR test used isn’t reliable.
"To our knowledge this is the first time there has been evidence of a problem with this diagnostic test anywhere in the world."
Mr Reppel told ABC Radio on Tuesday that the farm's revoked status was a relief.
"We're not making any bold moves to retract any of our policies or our practices on the farm at the moment," he said.
"We're just trying to digest it and it was good to be able to tell the crew at smoko that we have won this long battle."
While a boost for the industry, another banana farm in the Tully Valley remains quarantined after the discovery of Panama disease in March.
The Australian Banana Grower’s Council (ABGC) urged banana growers to keep up their farm biosecurity measures despite the Mareeba farm's quarantine lift.
The unreliable testing procedures have prompted an independent procedural review of all Panama disease diagnostic systems and processes used by Biosecurity Queensland and the University of Queensland, expected to be completed next month.
“It is better to have to revoke a quarantine than to hesitate at the outset and potentially place an entire industry at risk," Mr Letts said.
The Queensland Government has committed to reimbursing the net revenue forgone for the period in which each of the quarantined properties was unable to trade.
