Dr. Walker asks the Minister for Agriculture and Food about the presence and testing for hop latent viroid in WA hemp and cannabis crops. The Minister confirms no cases reported and clarifies testing is a Commonwealth responsibility.

AnsweredQoN 482Legislative Council
Asked
11 May 2023
Portfolio
Agriculture and Food

QuestionView source ↗

HEMP — HOP LATENT VIROID
482. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the Minister for Agriculture and
Food:
I refer the minister to reports that
hop latent viroid, an infectious plant pathogen that originated in Europe and
has now spread to cannabis and hemp crops in the United States to the point at
which it is being referred to by some experts as a major concern for
cultivators worldwide.
(1) Have any
cases of hop latent viroid been reported to date in Western Australia; and, if
so, how many instances and where and when were they reported?
(2) Does the
department of agriculture have any testing processes in place to identify hop
latent viroid in locally grown cannabis and hemp crops; and, if so, will the
minister please summarise them for the house?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the
member for some notice of the question.
(1) No.
(2) The
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is a commonwealth agency, so
I am unable to answer this question.

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