Agricultural pesticides are causing significant damage to the Great Barrier Reef, according to a new Australian government report on water quality at the site.
The report says some farmers must be more careful with their chemicals.
It found that nearly one-quarter of horticulture producers and 12% of pastoral farmers were using practices deemed unacceptable by the industry.
The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage-listed natural wonder.
Sugar cane criticism
In recent years, it has been coral bleaching caused by climate change that has damaged the Great Barrier Reef, but the first Australian government report on water quality there has found that agricultural pesticides are posing significant risks.
Pesticides have been found up to 60km (38 miles) inside the reef at toxic concentrations known to harm coral.
The heavy flooding and a cyclone that ripped through northern Queensland earlier in the year are thought to have made things worse, by flushing pollutants out to sea.
Categories: Australia