Membership of the recently established National Fruit Fly Council (NFFC) has been broadened and a full time manager appointed to assist the Council carry out its mission to coordinate fruit fly management activities at a national level.
The NFFC brings together government and industry members to drive the delivery of a national system that prevents fruit flies being a constraint to sustainable production or a barrier to trade and market access. More
Beekeepers in NSW now have an advisor on hand to help them keep their hives free from pests and diseases, as part of Plant Health Australia’s Bee Biosecurity Program, it was announced this week.
Hayley Pragert has started work in the new role of Bee Biosecurity Officer as part of a joint industry–government initiative to look after Australia’s honey bees. More
Exercise Haryana is being run to gain a better idea of how prepared Australia is for a Karnal bunt incursion, and to improve our ability to implement a rapid national response to Karnal bunt should it be detected.
The National Delimitation activities that form the second phase of Exercise Haryana will run from March until early May. More
Recently the citrus industry achieved a significant milestone for its growers through the development a new Owner Reimbursement Costs (ORC) Evidence Framework for citrus crops. Notably, the newly developed framework now places the citrus industry in a significantly improved position in the event of any future emergency plant pest responses in instances where affected growers are eligible for reimbursement as a result of losses during a response. More
The latest two videos produced by the Farm Biosecurity Program in the ‘biosecurity essentials’ series were launched at the PHA-AHA Joint Industry Forum on 24 November.
One of the videos is on the importance of training staff, biosecurity planning and keeping records. More
Around 40 experts in communications, biosecurity policy, grain production and processing from industry organisations and governments assembled for the first activity of Exercise Haryana. They were presented with a simulated scenario of a detection of the wheat fungal disease, Karnal bunt, in South Australia. More
On 25 November, PHA held a series of meetings for members: the Plant Industry Forum, an Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) signatories meeting, and the 15th Annual General Meeting.
Led by the chair Matt Kealley, industry members discussed the PHA–AHA Joint Industry Forum held on the previous day, PHA’s engagement with non-signatories and non-signatory attendance at meetings. More
The third Plant Health Australia–Animal Health Australia Joint Industry Forum was held on 24 November at Eastlake Football Club, Canberra.
The audience was briefed by the joint chairs, Kevin Shiell and Matt Kealley, on meetings held early in the day with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR), Daryl Quinlivan. More
Plant Health Australia (PHA) is pleased to welcome three new directors – Dr Joanne Daly, Robert Prince and Steve McCutcheon – following member endorsement at the 15th Plant Health Australia Annual General Meeting in Canberra on Wednesday 25 November. More
A recommendation from the recent senate inquiry into the honey bee and pollination industries was to review the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program, which aims to detect incursions as early as possible by setting up surveillance within a close proximity of potential incursion zones. More
