Tasmanian opium poppy farming industry

The Tasmanian opium poppy farming industry was established in Tasmania in 1966.^[1][2]

Opium poppies (Papaver somniferum) under cultivation in Tasmania

Farms in Tasmania produce about 50%^[3] of the world's licit poppy straw that is later refined into opiates such as morphine and codeine.^[4]

Tasmanian Alkaloids is Tasmania's largest corporate grower of opium poppies.^[5]

A downy mildew outbreak in the 2014 poppy-growing season led to one Tasmanian company to look into growing poppies in the Northern Territory and Victoria of Australia.^[3]

References

1. "Legislative Council Select Committee Inquiry: Tasmanian Poppy Industry" (PDF). Parliament of Tasmania. November 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
2. Chang, Charis (9 April 2014). "States want their cut of Australia's growing opium poppy industry". news.com.au. News Corp. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
3. Blucher, Alex (7 November 2014). "A systemic mildew that's causing entire paddock losses in poppy crops across Tasmania has sparked an industry-wide response". ABC Rural. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
4. Gardner, Jessica (14 January 2014). "Opium poppy venture on a high". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
5. Ogilvie, Felicity (25 June 2009). "Happy hops damage poppy crops". ABC News (Australia). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 July 2014.

External links

• Know your poppies factsheet from Department of Natural Resources and Environment (Tasmania) website