Cockies wreck apple crops

Apple damage from black cockatoos | Photographer: Olivia Garnett Apple growers across WA are expecting millions of dollars worth of damage to crops from black cockatoos.

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Mario Casotti from Casuarina Orchards estimates he has lost half his fruit across his orchards in Northhampton, Gingin, Karragullen, Manjimup and Donnybrook.

"They're just going for every apple and absolutely just destroying them, getting the seed and the fruit is dropping on the ground," he said.

Although he doesn't want to see the birds hurt, he'd like the Government to provide assistance to orchardists.

The aftermath of a black cockatoo feast on an apple orchard in the south-west. Photographer: Olivia Garnett"The birds have always done some amount of damage, it's just that this year the damage is more than ever," he said.

"I don't think that the growers should be responsible for damage from a bird that the government is actually spending money on rehabilitating."

FruitWest is the peak body for fruit growers in WA. Executive Manager Gavin Foord is looking at what can be done.

"We really do need to talk about the solutions carefully and plan out what we can do," Mr Foord said.

"I think we need to look at the support the government can actually give us in achieving some of those solutions."

State agriculture minister Terry Redman says he understands how frustrating it must be for south west orchardists who are losing up to half their fruit to black cockatoos.

The damage to apple crops from black cockatoos are the worst growers have seen. Photographer: Olivia GarnettThe birds are a protected species so he says at this stage he's undecided what action, if any, needs to be taken.

"I think we need to be careful how we manage through these issues, we have an endangered species which we don't want to see lost," the minister said.

Of course one of the consequences of this is the impact that they have on growers and we have to find that balance and sometimes it's hard."