December 19, 2019
Australia will be making the most of the International Year of Plant Health in 2020 by promoting how much Australians value plants, and how we can best protect them.
Executive Director and CEO of PHA, Greg Fraser, said this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of protecting plants from pests and diseases.
“Whether it be plants grown as crops, in plantation forests, in backyard gardens or in the natural environment, they are essential to our economy, the environment, our health and wellbeing,” he said.
“There are now more plant pests threatening the health of our plants, so it’s important to be vigilant.
“PHA has identified some 370 pests and diseases that threaten our plant industries but there are some particularly concerning ones. For example, Australia is making a great effort to keep brown marmorated stink bugs and Xylella fastidiosa out of the country.
“Just as important is avoiding moving pests and diseases that we already have here around the country from farm to farm, region to region and into our unique environmental areas.”
Mr Fraser encourages everyone who depends on plants to get involved in the celebrations.
“This could be by promoting your plant health champions, injecting the plant health theme into your events or highlighting plant biosecurity practices,” he said.
You can visit the website for the celebration of the International Year of Plant Health in Australia, planthealthyear.org.au.
There you can find out ways to protect plants in Australia, upload stories about people making a difference in plant health, details of events with a plant health theme and more.
PHA, the national coordinator of the government–industry partnership for plant biosecurity, is funded by 39 plant industries and all Australian governments.
The International Year of Plant Health for 2020 was launched globally by the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome on 2 December 2019.
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