In conjunction with the recent Annual Diagnostics and Surveillance Workshop (ADSW 2023), PHA hosted the first project workshop investigating requirements for development of a nationally integrated surveillance system for plant pests.

Plant pest surveillance is a key activity occurring across all parts of the biosecurity continuum of pre-border, border and post-border.

Surveillance is needed for timely detection or to delimit a new pest incursion, to give us the best chance of eradication, containment or improved management systems.  Information from surveillance is also needed to support market access.

“An integrated surveillance system must be coordinated, should include diagnostics to correctly identify pests, systems, tools and communications requirements and needs expertise for data collection and analysis as well as assessment of new risks and pathways,” said Dr Sharyn Taylor, PHA National Manager, Surveillance.

“Our surveillance systems are currently under pressure, and we need to investigate a stable, long-term funding model for delivery and resourcing, which will involve many stakeholders and partners,” she said.

The workshop focused on one of the key areas that emerged from initial consultation undertaken with PHA members in March 2023 highlighting the need to establish and improve surveillance for early (timely) detection of highest priority pests.

Workshop attendees looked at the needs for timely detection across urban environments, remote locations, commercial production and at high-risk sites, and identified areas that were common requirements across all situations such as improved communication (tailored to differing stakeholder groups), better baseline information on pests and hosts as well as training.

Improvements through use of sentinel sites and tools, improved data management and sharing and investigation of new technologies including use of eDNA, volatiles, and x-ray imaging were raised as promising avenues for creating efficiencies when undertaking surveillance.

A second workshop that explored models for resourcing and the delivery of surveillance was held in June, in conjunction with PHA’s Member meetings.

This work is part of a project led by PHA and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).

Plant Health Australia’s (PHA) Biosecurity Officer, Rebecca Powderly, presented an overview of biosecurity and the role PHA plays, to several undergraduate students studying biology at the Australia National University in May.

Students were introduced to biosecurity in Australia, provided with an overview of the National Priority Plant Pests, and the role of the Chief Plant Protection Officer. Rebecca also explained PHA’s role in supporting Australia’s plant biosecurity system.

They also learned more about plant pest and disease diagnostic and surveillance techniques and resources, as well as preparedness strategies. The Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) was described and what happens in the event of a plant pest or disease incursion.

Case studies for Grapevine red blotch virus and Varroa mite were also presented.

This is the first in a series of student presentations planned for 2023, aiming to increase engagement and awareness of the role of biosecurity in Australia, and create a pipeline for careers in the field.

31 May 2023

Welcome everyone both online and in the room with me, to the 22nd hybrid General Meeting of Plant Health Australia.

Before we begin, I’d like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of our country. I pay my respect to their elders, past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

On the agenda for today is the 2022/23 Year to Date Performance Report, the 2023/24 Annual Operational Plan and the 2023/24 Member subscriptions for ordinary resolution.

As an integral part of the Australian plant biosecurity system, PHA is cognisant of the mounting challenges and pressures felt by all stakeholders and the need for system transformation to maintain our world-class biosecurity system. The $1 billion biosecurity funding announced as part of the Federal Budget and the move towards a sustainable biosecurity funding model is welcome however, there is still much unknown about the proposed new Biosecurity protection levy. PHA will endeavour to actively engage with the Australian Government to understand the new levy and how it will be used to strengthen the biosecurity system.

As an organisation we are aware of the need to adapt and focus our activities in the areas we can maximise our impact and deliver the best value to our Member base.

The 2023/24 Annual Operational Plan presents PHA’s key activities and targets for the next financial year to support PHA’s vision of being a valued leader of a strong, integrated plant biosecurity system. The portfolio of work to be undertaken in the next 12 months is categorised under each of our three strategic priorities; Respond effectively, Strengthen Partnerships and Enhance integration. Most of you would have seen the draft AOP at the March webinar and received an electronic copy after the webinar. Thank you to those Members who provided feedback during the consultation period. This feedback was incorporated in the revised AOP distributed with the meeting papers earlier this month.

For the coming year, subject to a Member vote, PHA subscriptions will increase by 3.5%. This means that core funding through subscriptions from our government, industry and associate Members will be $2.849 million. PHA also expects to receive $11.095 in non-subscription project funding which not only aligns with and supports our Strategic Plan but allows PHA to have surge capacity and capability when needed. A breakdown of these figures is given in the AOP.

In addition, the Board is evaluating the additional capacity required over and above PHA’s role under the Emergency Plant Pest Deed, as custodian of the Deed and in excess of normal commitments, to ensure that as an organisation we can continue to not only support our Members’ needs but ensure the level of support matches our Members’ expectations. We look forward to hearing more about this in the 37th Signatories Meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning and to unpacking the level of support required in order to develop an equitable and sustainable solution.

Finally, I would like to thank the PHA team for arranging the Plant Industry Forum, General Meeting and Members Forum and for preparing an AOP that continues to maximise Member benefits but also focuses on strengthening the plant biosecurity system for the benefit of the economy, environment and community.

Thank you for your attendance today and for your support over the past 12 months. I look forward to seeing you all at our AGM later this year.

View the General Meeting presentation.

Plant Health Australia (PHA) in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) have published the final reports for three national research and development (R&D) projects to minimise the damaging consequences of Fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda) to Australian plant industries.

FAW was first detected in the northern parts of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. Due to their fast migration , it was determined that FAW was unfeasible to eradicate and it is now classified as an established pest in these areas.

The program identified critical gaps in fall armyworm knowledge of national interest, through a national R&D forum and prioritised and developed the following projects:

1. 1. Genomic insight of FAW movement in Australia, (CSIRO, Wee Tek Tay), seeking to (1) apply established population genomic analysis pipeline to understand the genetic contribution of new migrants to the established Australia FAW populations, and (2) to understand the level of population connectedness between Australian FAW populations.

Final Technical Report – Genomic insights of FAW

2. 2. Understanding the key market drivers that will underpin the development of an Insecticide Resistance Management Strategy for FAW, (ICAN, Mark Congreve), seeking to understand existing crops x region x insect pest occurrence for the identified important host crops for FAW. Current insecticide use by region will be explored, including documenting any successful IRMS that are already in place for other pests. The project will also seek to explore how FAW management is likely to change insecticide use patterns.

Final Technical Report – Understanding key market drivers for resistance management

3. 3. Surveying and testing locally occurring insect viruses for use in Fall Armyworm management, (QDAF, Ian Newton), seeking to collect local endemic insect viruses found in Fall Armyworm and related insects and determine if local endemic viruses are more effective on FAW than imported commercial virus based biopesticides.

Final Technical Report – Survey of local insect viruses for FAW management

The fourth final project report on Rapid real-time simulation of wind-assisted long-ranged dispersal of fall armyworm in Australia. (CESAR, James Maino), will be released later this year.

The National Fruit Fly Council (NFFC) is excited to announce the National Fruit Fly Symposium from 20 – 21 July 2023 at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide, South Australia.

This is the first face-to-face symposium since the fruit fly system community last gathered in 2018. Save the date and watch this space for more information.

The Symposium theme is: ‘The view over the horizon’, and it will take stock of progress against the National Fruit Fly Strategy to-date and build a collective view of future opportunities. The two-day symposium will provide an opportunity to both listen, engage and contribute to our collective fruit fly future.

Day one will explore the fruit fly system and the all-important trade implications and opportunities. Day two will comprise a series of workshops around issues including Area Wide Management and SIT, systems-based approaches, as well as extension and engagement, including social research. The workshops are designed to provide an update on past and current work, draw on successful and practical approaches, look at case studies both locally and internationally, and explore future opportunities and priorities to enable us to chart a path and identify the role of each component within the system.

In the lead up to the National Fruit Fly Symposium, we will also host a Think Tank webinar series covering strategic priority issues including market access, SIT and policy, area wide management (AWM), and fruit fly systems.

The United Nations declared 12 May as the International Day of Plant Health to raise global awareness and take action to improve plant health and build a better future.

Plant health is key to the sustainable development of agriculture that is required to feed a growing global population by 2050.

Both our health and the health of our planet depend on plants. Plants are the source of the oxygen we breathe, much of the food we eat, the fibres that make our clothes and natural building materials. Yet, up to 40 percent of food crops are lost due to plant pests and diseases every year. This affects food security and agriculture, the main source of income for vulnerable rural communities.

“By protecting plant health through a robust biosecurity system, we can work together to end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment, and boost economic development,” said Sarah Corcoran, CEO of Plant Health Australia (PHA).

Climate change and human activities also affect plant health by altering ecosystems and damaging biodiversity, while creating new niches for pests to thrive. International travel and trade, which has tripled in volume in the last decade, is causing pests and diseases to appear in places they were never seen before.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that agricultural production needs to rise by 60 per cent by 2050 to feed a larger and generally richer global population.

“Healthy plants constitute the foundation of all life on earth and we all have a role to play.” said Ms Corcoran.

2023 marked the second year of International Day of Plant Health and events were held around the globe to celebrate.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry held an in-person science exchange. The event was chaired by the Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer Dr Gabrielle Vivian-Smith and had a variety of experts exchanging knowledge and innovations in plant health, environmental protection, and biodiversity.

The Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI) held a contest for students and early career researchers. The contest called on students to submit a short video on a plant health related topic. The list of entries are available on the PBRI website here.

Finally, Plant Health Australia celebrated the date with a plant based high tea. Attendees enjoyed a variety of cupcakes, snacks, herbal teas and other drinks – all made thanks to the contributions of plants in agriculture.

These events confirmed the importance of plant health and biosecurity efforts. Plant health should not stop after one day. Plant health and biosecurity is an ongoing responsibility, one that remains a high priority.

The Subcommittee on Plant Health Diagnostics (SPHD) is pleased to announce applications for the Diagnostic Residential Program are now open.

Funding is available to members of the National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Network (NPBDN) for Diagnostic Residentials projects that show benefit to the NPBDN and national plant biosecurity diagnostics.

Diagnostic Residentials involve plant biosecurity diagnostician(s) spending time in another laboratory, workplace, or by participating in relevant activities that improve the national capability to identify plant pests.

All applications that show benefit to diagnostics will considered. Applicants should focus their project on building capability or capacity to identify a National Priority Plant Pest, a plant disease or pathogen on the Priority list of exotic environmental pests and diseases or an emerging plant pest. Diagnostic Residential projects that contribute to the development, review or validation of a National Diagnostic Protocol will be favoured.

Application are open now and close at midnight Monday 12 June 2023

Full details of funding requirements and applications are only available to NPBDN members that meet the eligibility criteria. To access details, log into the Portal and go to ‘Development Events’ tab in the menu.

The first two weeks of May have been filled to the brim with many opportunities to engage with stakeholders from across the plant biosecurity system. Last week I had the pleasure of giving a keynote presentation at the Entomological Society of Queensland’s (ESQ) Centennial Symposium to mark 100 years of Queensland entomology. During my address, I focused on the success of ESQ and their role in bringing together curious minds, facilitating knowledge sharing, problem solving and progressing our collective understanding of Australia’s entomological fauna. The Centennial Symposium also provided a great opportunity for me to reflect on my career journey and the lessons insects have taught me about how to protect our unique agricultural and environmental assets.

From entomologists to diagnosticians and surveillance practitioners, the Annual Diagnostics and Surveillance Workshop (ADSW) is an event not to be missed. The three-day event incorporated shoulder workshops, a field learning activity and plenty of time to network. This year’s theme ‘Implementation through connections’ was prevalent in the range of speakers and topics covered.

Tuesday night’s Federal Budget announcement committing $1bn over four years to strengthen Australia’s biosecurity system to safeguard agriculture production is welcomed. Of particular interest is the move towards a sustainable biosecurity funding model supported by new levy measures. There is still much unknown about the proposed new Biosecurity Protection Levy and Plant Health Australia (PHA) will endeavour to actively engage with the Australian Government to understand the new levy, the impact on our Membership base and how it will be used to strengthen the biosecurity system. This Friday, the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) are hosting a biosecurity webinar aimed at providing clarity on the ongoing work to ensure the biosecurity cost recovery arrangements are fit-for-purpose. For more info and to register, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/australian-biosecurity-webinar-tickets-635064684567

Another event of significance is the annual International Day of Plant Health. This year, in partnership with the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative and DAFF, PHA worked to raise awareness and increase action to improve plant health to build a better future. Local celebrations commenced with a presentation highlighting the role of biosecurity partnerships at the Science Exchange event hosted by DAFF and concluded with a plant-based high tea at our Canberra office. Thank you to the PHA team for the community resources and communications materials produced to support this global call-to-action day.

As we look towards the end of the May, the PHA team is diligently preparing for the Plant Industry Forum, General Meeting, Members Forum and Deed meetings. Invitations have been sent to all Members along with the agenda, proxy form and registration link. Our twice-yearly Member meetings provide an occasion to share information, knowledge and innovations in plant biosecurity. They are a highlight on the PHA calendar and I look forward to reconnecting with our Member base at the upcoming meetings.

Increasing numbers of travellers and increasing volumes of goods entering Australia place increasing pressure on Australia’s biosecurity system for faster and accurate identification of plant pests and pathogens, especially where these may be exotic species, national priority plant pests, industry high priority pests and trade sensitive established pests.

HTS technologies offer a rapid, reliable and cost-efficient diagnostic platform to identify pests and pathogens in a single test, increasing Australia’s diagnostic capacity, and delivering rapid, more accurate results. HTS generates massive datasets, and the increasing amount of data being generated on plant pests and pathogens has emphasised the need for a secure, centralised platform that allows the submission, sharing and analysis of standardised HTS data.

As part of a project funded under the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s (DAFF) Biosecurity Innovation Program, Plant Health Australia (PHA) hosted its third stakeholder workshop in April to continue consultation on the draft governance arrangements and data standards. MTP Services also led discussions about the wireframes it has developed for the front end of the proposed database.

All participants across the three workshops will have the opportunity to review and comment on the third workshop report, the wireframes and the draft data standards and governance arrangements modified based on comments at the April workshop.

The workshop was well attended with participants from a wide range of stakeholder organisations including DAFF, state and territory government departments, CSIRO, Bioplatforms, ANU and Hort Innovation.

For further information please contact PHA’s Cheryl Grgurinovic or Lucy Tran-Nguyen.

The Subcommittee on National Plant Health Surveillance (SNPHS) is pleased to announce applications for the Surveillance Residential Program are now open to all Plant Surveillance Network Australasia-Pacific (PSNAP) members.  Surveillance Residentials are funded by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and allow plant health surveillance professionals to spend time in another workplace or location, or to participate in relevant activities that improve the national capability to detect exotic plant pests such as:

• Attending a relevant workshop or training event to fill a known gap in plant health surveillance capability.
• Learning new techniques and gaining exposure to different surveillance activities by participating in a program, where the techniques or practices are currently implemented.
• Improving field triage skills by working with an expert for the target pest(s).
• Improving sampling and transport methods to enhance diagnostic outcomes by spending time with an expert for the target pest(s) and/or spending time in a diagnostic laboratory.
• Participating in a surveillance program to gain greater field experience and understanding of surveillance logistics.
• Arranging for an expert to visit your workplace to train staff in a specific skill or share information not currently held within the group.

Applicants are encouraged to consider applications in their own jurisdictions as well as interstate residentials.

Applications are now open and close at 12am (AEST) on Friday 23rd June 2023. Full details of funding requirements and applications are only available to PSNAP members. To access details, log into the Portal and go to ‘Events’. To become a member of PSNAP, fill in the Join form. For further enquiry contact the Networks Coordinator on email: psnap@phau.com.au