National Plant Biosecurity Strategy: Action Plans for 2022-23 released

The first set of annual Action Plans have been released for the National Plant Biosecurity Strategy and its sub-strategies on preparedness, surveillance and diagnostics.

The 2022-23 action plans provide information on key activities that contribute to the delivery of strategic actions and were developed in collaboration with the National Plant Biosecurity Strategy Governance Group. Information in the plans will establish a framework for monitoring and evaluation and help to identify gaps and opportunities for collaboration across the system.

Read more.

CEO message – December 2022

It has been a mammoth year in Australian agriculture. Despite the impacts of devastating floods in the eastern states, Australian agriculture is still on track for setting new export commodity benchmarks and high yields for winter crops. According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) December quarter overview, the gross agricultural production is forecasted to be $85 billion and the value of exports a little over $72 billion in 2022-23; just shy of the record set the previous year.

In PHA news, the amendments to the Plant Health Australia (Plant Industries) Funding Act 2022, were passed by the Senate last week and will now progress to the Governor for assent. The amendments include an expanded scope of the Emergency Plant Pest Response levies to provide industry members with greater flexibility and empowers the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to determine if a body is a relevant Plant Industry Member by a notifiable instrument.

The tempo of work and pace of change at PHA has made for a busy year as we commenced implementing the first year of our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan and building a workforce culture to achieve our strategic actions.  The year culminated in our AGM and Member meetings recently held in Canberra. Member meetings provide an opportunity to share company information as well as a platform to share knowledge on the drivers, trends and innovations relevant to our Members and plant biosecurity. They are a highlight on the PHA calendar where we connect with members and hear more about their challenges, opportunities and successes. Members also make the most of their visit to the Capital, holding additional meetings such as PHA project management committees, engaging with other peak industry bodies and meeting with ministers and their advisers to discuss issues of importance. As we head into our planning season for the 2023-24 Annual Operational Plan, we will continue member consultation and engagement to understand priorities and how they align with our five-year strategy. Our Member survey is well underway and I’d like to thank those who have already completed the survey. For those of our Members who haven’t yet had a chance to complete it, the survey will remain open until Tuesday 20 December, to provide more time at what is a busy time of the year – we’d love to receive your feedback!

We have continued our active role as a member on the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative attending the last meeting for 2022 where updates on current activities and investments as well as potential future activities were provided. Members also discussed the upcoming independent review of the initiative that will inform the development of Phase III and the new Memorandum of Understanding between PBRI and the Plant Health Committee (PHC).

Last month, Stuart Kearns our National Manager: Preparedness and RD&E and I, had the pleasure of attending a special event hosted by the Parliamentary Friends of Primary Producers and Grain Producers Australia at Parliament House. The event saw industry leaders from across the grains sector from growers to processors to bulk handlers provided their insights to an audience that included a cross section of parliamentary members and senators, delivering information demonstrating the economic and social value of the grains industry to regional Australia.

Understanding AgTech and the opportunities it presents in improving efficiency, profitability and sustainability not only of production, but also when applied to other elements of production such as early warning systems for pests and disease, is key to minimising and managing biosecurity threats. I recently had an opportunity to do this when I participated in the Central Queensland Smart Cropping Centre Co-Design Day in Emerald which brought together the latest knowledge, technology and practices from a range of stakeholders to develop solutions to the challenges facing the agricultural industry. The event was an opportunity to build new networks and provide a biosecurity lens to the discussion and co-design workshop.

To our Members, stakeholders and staff, thank you for your support, commitment and contributions over the past twelve months; our achievements could not have been made without you. I look forward to our continued partnership and collaboration in 2023 to strengthen the plant biosecurity system. We will be closing for the holidays from close of business on Wednesday 21 December and will re-open on Wednesday 4 January 2023. From all of us at PHA, we wish you a safe, restful and happy festive season.

 

 

 

 

National surveillance partnership to protect Australia’s forests

A new Biosecurity Collaboration Agreement will establish a National Forest Pest Surveillance Program to improve the early detection of exotic forest pests and the likelihood of their eradication.

This agreement will enable industry and government to carry out risk-based forest pest surveillance activities to early detect and manage new pest incursions in Australia through a well-coordinated national surveillance program.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt said this agreement was timely, given the increasing levels of trade, movement of people and commodities, and climate change contributing to an upward trend in the number of exotic forest pest incursions.

“A nationally coordinated surveillance program—supported by an effective diagnostic network—is needed to effectively mitigate the risk of exotic forest pests establishing in Australia,” Minister Watt said.

“Our forests represent the seventh largest forest estate in the world comprising native, commercial, and urban forests.

“New pests in our forests would have significant impacts on the Australian economy, trade and market access, environment, and way of life.

“Ensuring that forest stakeholders and government agencies work together in partnership is critical to achieving these aims.

“The landmark agreement is the first of its kind, committing to a consistent and harmonised approach with targeted expert surveillance, training and support of various stakeholders, and planning and reporting.

“This is a great example of how strong partnerships across governments and industry can improve our national biosecurity system.

“It is also very timely as we know climate change can stress trees, making them more susceptible to pests, and a warming climate is changing the movement and range of pests to threaten new areas of forest.”

Plant Health Australia CEO, Sarah Corcoran said the early detection of exotic plant pest and diseases minimised the potential significant economic and social risks and improved the chances of eradication before these impacts occur.

“The National Forest Pest Surveillance Program demonstrates how connected strategies, collaboration and co-ordinated plant pest and surveillance activities strengthen the plant biosecurity system not only for the benefit of plant industries but for economy, environment, and community,” Ms Corcoran said.

Signatories to the agreement include the Commonwealth government, the Australian Forest Products Association, Plant Health Australia, all State and Territory governments, Forest Wood Products Australia, Invasive Species Council, and NRM Regions Australia.

Message from the CEO – November 2022

Welcome to the November edition of Tendrils, our second last e-newsletter for 2022!

Unlike the winding down of activities that usually precedes the end-of-year holidays, the past few weeks have shown that biosecurity is still high on the national agenda.

Last month, our Chair Steve McCutcheon and I attended the Agricultural Budget breakfast hosted by CropLife, to hear the Hon. Minister Watt outline the budget line items for agriculture and biosecurity.  Plant Health Australia (PHA), welcomes the Albanese $134 million investment in biosecurity measures to improve border screening, and their $204 million package to boost innovation and training in the timber industry. These key investments will go towards bolstering Australia’s biosecurity system and demonstrates the Government’s support for agricultural industries. Making biosecurity a priority is essential in order to protect and grow this $1.5 billion industry.

Another key milestone in working towards a contemporary Australian plant biosecurity system, was the release of the revised Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) at the end of October. The revisions offer enhanced operation and clarity across a number of provisions and outcomes including the key policy matters of ‘Owner Reimbursement Costs in the absence of a Response Plan’ and vector/pathogen complexes, together with 29 other variations. These variations represent a significant milestone in the evolution of the EPPRD and are the outcome of considerable work undertaken by the signatories over several years. Ratified on 26 October 2005, last month we also celebrated 17 years of the EPPRD – a landmark agreement which provides the strong foundational partnerships in plant biosecurity.

In PHA news, our 2022 Annual Report is now available for download from our website, with a printed copy sent to all our members along with the notice of the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The report marks my second year as CEO and the conclusion of the 2016-21 Strategic Plan.

Our Member meetings will be held 29-30 November 2022 in Canberra, with the 22nd AGM being held on Tuesday 29 November. Invitations have been sent to all members with the program, proxy form and registration link. A reminder that Member registrations close this Friday 18 November.

Another significant event is the 2022 PHA Member survey, which opens shortly. Once again we’ve commissioned Kynetec, a leading agricultural market research company, to conduct the survey. The survey seeks to evaluate our performance specifically against our Strategic Plan and priorities as well as implementation of programs, initiatives, communications and engagements.

On the note of Members, I’d like to congratulate Jim Pekin on his retirement. Jim was a long-serving CEO of the Australian Banana Growers’ Council and well known for his passion and work behind the scenes of the banana industry. Personally it has been an absolute pleasure to know and work with Jim through my previous roles in Biosecurity Queensland, Northern Territory Department of Primary Industries and currently PHA. We wish Jim all the very best in this next phase of his life adventure.

I’d also like to welcome Brigit Perry and Somania Dahal to the PHA team. Brigit has joined as a Project Officer in the Digital Systems team and Somania Dahal who commenced as our Management Accountant in our corporate team.

With a few short weeks until we enter the final month of 2022, the PHA team is hard at work delivering against our priority areas and we look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meetings and will be preparing a final edition of Tendrils for December.

Surveillance and diagnostics key to protect bee industry

With over 29,000 registered beekeepers who own approximately 668,000 hives, keeping Australia’s honey bee population healthy is no mean feat.

Australia’s geographic location, a world-class biosecurity system and programs such as the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program (NBPSP) protect the industry from high priority pests that devastate honey bee industries overseas.

The NBPSP is a large industry-government partnership jointly funded by Hort Innovation, the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC), Grain Producers Australia (GPA), the Australian Government and State and Territory governments.

The program currently targets 13 pests that range from giant honeybees at 17-20 mm long to tracheal mites which are less than 0.2 mm in size, and viruses which cause significant disease in colonies.

The NBPSP uses a range of tools and tests to detect these pests.

A lot of surveillance activities are undertaken in the field at ports of high risk concern for the entry of these target pests.

“Several different types of samples are collected and sent to a specific laboratory and highly-trained individuals who inspect the samples or expose the samples to further tests, to detect exotic pests as soon as possible,” said Dr Jenny Shanks, Plant Health Australia’s Manager, Bee Biosecurity.

The types of tools used in diagnostics vary. Beekeepers can do a physical inspection for pests by looking at hive frames or undertaking sugar shakes or alcohol washes. Laboratories have a wider range of diagnostic tools such as microscopes to inspect bees, sticky mats for mites, dissection to remove the trachea of individual bees, and molecular tests for detecting viruses. These tools assist with Varroa species identification and to genetically confirm exotic bee species.

Interestingly, birds can also assist in diagnostics. The presence or absence of pest bees in regurgitated pellets, can be inspected in a laboratory for the presence of bee wings.

“The wings are then inspected for venation arrangement, as wing veins are different between Asian honeybees and European honeybees,” said Dr Shanks.

Government-based laboratories are charged with the inspection of sticky mats. These traps are specifically designed pieces of cardboard with a sticky surface based on the floor of sentinel hives. The hives are then treated with an acaricide, which is a chemical used to target exotic mites only. If there are mites in the hives, once exposed to the chemicals, they fall through the hive and land on the sticky surface of the mat, and become trapped. The mats are removed and inspected under a microscope for the presence or absence confirmation of mites like Tropilaelaps and Varroa mites.

“25,147 sticky mats were inspected by trained Australian laboratories between 2016-2021, and all samples returned negative results for Deformed wing virus (DWV), Acute bee paralysis virus (APBV), and Slow bee paralysis virus (SBPV), ” said Dr Shanks. “

Specialist entomologists such as Alberto Guanilo from Bugs for Bugs Ltd. dissected at least 25,000 adult honeybees between 2016 and 2021, removing the trachea of the bee and inspecting for the presence or absence of a ‘tracheal mite’. This method requires the careful and precision dissection of the trachea from the bee under a microscope. The samples of bees were collected from hives, swarms captured in catchboxes and around port areas, and during floral sweep netting activities by government biosecurity officers. In Tasmania over 4,000 bees have been inspected for tracheal mites.

Dr John Roberts from the CSIRO has developed an exotic virus assay, used on samples of bees collected from hives to inform the presence or absences of harmful bee viruses not currently in Australia. Some of these viruses include Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), Acute Bee Paralysis Virus (ABPV), and Slow Bee Paralysis Virus (SBPV). Between 2019 and 2021, 600 samples of adult bees were provided to the CSIRO lab for testing of these three key bee viruses. All samples over the 5-years have returned negative results for DWV, ABPV, SBPV.

The NBPSP stakeholders and managers are continuously exploring new innovative diagnostic tools to improve detection sensitives and laboratory capacity and efficiency, such as trialling molecular tests for detection of tracheal mite, or the use of eDNA to detect even more information of target pests.

Revised EPPRD continues to meet changing needs of biosecurity system

A revised version of the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) came into effect this week to  meet the needs of signatories and a contemporary Australian biosecurity system. The new EPPRD offers enhanced operation and clarity across a number of provisions and outcomes.

The EPPRD, also commonly referred to as the ‘plant deed’, is a formal legally binding agreement between Plant Health Australia (PHA), the Australian Government, all state and territory governments and national plant industry bodies.

The EPPRD covers the management and funding of responses to Emergency Plant Pest (EPP) incidents, including the potential for owner reimbursement costs for growers. It also formalises the role of plant industries’ participation in decision making as well as their investment in the costs related to EPP responses.

“The EPPRD is a landmark agreement, laying strong foundational partnerships in plant biosecurity,” said Sarah Corcoran, CEO of PHA.

From an agricultural, environmental and community viewpoint, the plant deed supports nationally consistent and structured responses to emergency plant pests, where it is in Australia’s interest to be free of that plant pest.

“Importantly the plant deed also provides clarity regarding roles and responsibilities, assisting in managing expectations of each other and allowing for those involved to effectively prepare,” said Ms Corcoran.

In a world first, the EPPRD was ratified in 2005, significantly increasing Australia’s capacity to respond to emergency plant pest incursions.

“Before the arrangement came into effect 17 years ago, collaboration between government and industry in responses was not guaranteed,” said Dr Susanna Driessen, General Manager Emergency Response at PHA.

Each response managed under the plant deed has had its own challenges and opportunities. Past responses provide signatories to the deed with opportunities to reflect on changes that may be needed to assist the national plant biosecurity system.

Working collaboratively, PHA, plant industries, and all governments have identified a number of opportunities to enhance the functionality of the plant deed, negotiating to action improvements and embedding practices that have evolved over time.

“Amendments to the revised version of the EPPRD include improved functionality, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and refining understanding of how to apply the agreement,” said Dr Driessen.

Other amendments support improved outcomes during a biosecurity response and include:

  • Supporting growers directly affected by emergency containment activities that may be implemented immediately following the detection of a suspect emergency plant pest. The EPPRD now allows for the National Management Group (NMG), which is the key decision making body in respect of national responses, to determine the provision of reimbursement for losses, even if a national response does not occur. This is a discretionary decision point and aims to facilitate equity for impacted growers and support early reporting and response actions.
  • Flexibility to respond to exceptional circumstances in a transparent and collaborative way. In the instance where eradication following implementation of a response plan may no longer be feasible, the EPPRD allowed for a short period of time where national coordination and funding could continue whilst the response ‘transitioned’ from eradication to ongoing management. COVID-19 restrictions highlighted that these timeframes may need to be reconsidered and adaptable, and the signatories to the plant deed supported the option to extend these timeframes when it is agreed that ‘exceptional circumstances’ have arisen.

 

“The EPPRD will continue to provide a platform for improved preparedness and raising the profile of plant biosecurity, providing for better outcomes for all stakeholders,” said Ms Corcoran.

“Overall the plant deed provides for a cohesive, structured national approach to plant biosecurity responses, to benefit all Australians.”

For more information, visit the PHA website.

Message from the CEO – October 2022

Welcome to the October edition of Tendrils.

A quick news scan over the past couple of weeks has shown that biosecurity continues to be a hot topic with increased understanding of the pressures the plant biosecurity system is facing due to the rise in volume of trade, climate change and spread of pests and diseases.

A strong and resilient plant biosecurity system requires improved mechanisms and tools to minimise pest and disease impacts on the agricultural sector and protect our food security. The Biosecurity Amendment (Strengthening Biosecurity) Bill 2022 introduced into Parliament late last month proposes changes to the Biosecurity Act 2015 including:

  • strengthened pre-border measures
  • effective data sharing mechanisms
  • increased civil and criminal penalties
  • improved administration of the Biosecurity Act
  • enhanced operation of provisions relating to approved arrangements and compensation.

The proposed Biosecurity Amendment Bill is welcomed as a key step to enhance Australia’s ability to manage risks related to pests and diseases and to ensure the biosecurity system is future-focused and fit-for-purpose.

An updated version of the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) was also released last month with administrative amendments made to the Schedules of the EPPRD. Next month we celebrate 17 years of the EPPRD. First ratified on 26 October 2005, the Deed was a culmination of a determined effort to create the world’s most progressive plant health partnership arrangement. Happy birthday Deed!

To ensure Australia has the highest calibre of plant pest diagnostic expertise to identify priority and emerging plant pests, requires addressing capacity gaps and delivering professional development pathways for diagnosticians. The first PestBlitz field triage workshop, designed to build capacity and capability in sample collection and processing, and increase knowledge of the complexities of sampling when developing protocols, was recently held in Adelaide. With attendees from across Australia, this workshop is another great example of our proficiency in bringing stakeholders together to support the plant diagnostic system.

Last month, the Board meeting was held in Mildura, Victoria and included citrus industry field visits as well as a trip to a new medicinal cannabis production facility. A key outcome of BM108 was the approval of the Annual Report. A digital version will be available for download on the PHA website in early November. This Annual Report is the final report against the 2016-21 Strategic Plan and associated key performance indicators. Once again, the PHA team has performed well diligently delivering value to our stakeholders.

A mechanism used to evaluate PHA’s performance in terms of programs, initiatives, communications and engagements as well as the value to our member base, is the Member survey. The Member survey will go live in November and will provide members with an opportunity to highlight their biosecurity challenges, current biosecurity activities and level of preparedness. Keep a look out for the online survey link.

A warm welcome to our two new Project Officers Gavin Edwards and Luke McKee who joined the Preparedness and RD&E teams.

If you haven’t already, get social with us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. We use these social platforms extensively to share company news, aspects of the biosecurity system, industry events and spotlight our member industries.

 

Board Meeting #108

The Plant Health Australia (PHA) Board recently travelled to Mildura, Victoria from 19-21 September for Board Meeting 108. While in Mildura, they took the opportunity to engage with and hear from members on the challenges and opportunities facing agriculture.

Held over two days and hosted at the Citrus Australia office, Board Meeting 108 commenced on the Monday afternoon and completed on the Wednesday morning. Key outcomes included:

  • Approval of the 2022 Annual Report
  • Discussion on the Public Hearings in relation to the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee’s inquiry into the adequacy of Australia’s biosecurity measures and response preparedness, in particular with respect to foot and mouth disease and varroa mite
  • Confirmation of the 2022 AGM for 29 November 2022
  • Approval of June and July financial statements and the resolution that the financial statements up until 30 June 2022 and accompanying notes of the Company are in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001 and comply with Accounting Standards and Corporations Regulations 2001; and
  • Review of the excellent work PHA is undertaking to embed company values and promote positive workplace culture to ensure a highly skilled and engaged team delivering for our members.

Mildura is well known as one of Australia’s most productive agricultural regions, producing premium products for domestic and international markets. The Board had a very engaging and interesting field day on the Tuesday, meeting with member organisations and other plant industries to discuss a range of topics relating to agriculture and biosecurity.

The first session was held at AUSCitrus where the Board learnt about Asian citrus psyllid preparedness measures, the industry high health nursery stock program, and received an update on Huanglongbing tolerant rootstock activities.

Next on the agenda was a visit to Grandview Orchards to see this season’s orange production and hear first-hand about the impacts that climatic conditions and COVID-19 has had on the industry.

The Board then visited the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries Dareton Primary Industries research farm for a tour through the orchard, whilst Research Horticulturist for Citrus, Dr Dave Monks, explained the current experiments in varieties and growing conditions.

The afternoon was spent at Cann Group, where the Board received a guided tour of the facility and discussed the biosecurity needs of the emerging medicinal cannabis industry.

Finally, the Board visited Dried Fruits Australia, where they met with new CEO Thomas Cheung to hear about the biosecurity measures that are undertaken in the industry. The Board also met with the CEO of Citrus Australia and Chair of the Plant Industry Forum, Nathan Hancock, to discuss his insights and experiences into the biosecurity system in Australia.

The Board wishes to thank all members, stakeholders and staff that contributed to this interesting and valuable meeting.

Staff movements

Last month we welcomed Gavin Edwards, who joined the Plant Health Australia (PHA) Preparedness and RD&E team as a Project Officer in September 2022.

Gavin’s biosecurity career began in Canberra in an operational role with the former Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. Since then, he has worked in various policy and operational roles for Australian, New Zealand and United States Government agencies, and most recently with the Northern Territory Government.

He will assist in the collection and analysis of plant biosecurity surveillance and R&D activities across Australia and the development of farm management materials to promote uptake of biosecurity activities among PHA Members.

This month we welcomed Luke McKee as a Project Officer in the Preparedness and RD&E team.

Luke has a Bachelor of Environmental Science from University of Canberra and brings a wide range of project management experience to PHA that he has developed through remote field work in applied ecology across southern NSW catchments through to biodiversity and biosecurity mapping and producer engagement in the Queanbeyan-Palerang regional council area.

Luke will assist in the review and development of Biosecurity Plans (BPs) for specific plant industries and the development of farm management guides, continuity plans and other material that contribute to the enhanced uptake of biosecurity activities amongst PHA Members.

Huge congratulations to Kathryn Pagler who recently graduated with first class honours in a Bachelor of Applied Science degree at the University of Canberra! As a Bee Biosecurity Project Officer, Kathryn’s thesis was titled ‘The Nature of European Honey Bee Gut Microbes in Australia’.

Promoting biosecurity in Indigenous-led forestry enterprises

Plant Health Australia (PHA) joined project partners, the Northern Territory Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism (DITT), Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries(QDAF), and the University of the Sunshine Coast, on six field campaigns to understand what needs to be done, learnt and taught to make biosecurity ‘business-as-usual’ in Indigenous-led forestry enterprises in the Northern Territory.

Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s (DAFF’s) Business Biosecurity Grant, the project aims to build new partnerships to face future risks to strengthen our plant biosecurity system.

Indigenous communities in northern Australia own and manage around 46 million ha of forest. Some of these forests currently support a small and socio-economically important Indigenous commercial forestry and forest products industries such and the native forest sawmills and woodworks of Gumatj, East Arnhem, Northern Territory.

PHA’s Dr Mila Bristow, General Manager, Partnerships and Innovation, joined the visit in early September to East Arnhem partnered with Gumatj corporation, Dhimurru and Yirralka Rangers for three days of two-way learning. The forest and biosecurity specialists listened and learnt from the Indigenous people about culture, what makes healthy country and why it is important to understand what could make country unhealthy.

Science specialists shared knowledge about known forest pests and pathogens, how to look for them, how to sample them, and how to report pest and disease threats. An important takeout was how to listen and better develop training for first nations people whose first, second and third language is not English.

The project team plans to visit the Tiwi Island’s forest plantations in October as they continue to learn how to safeguard Indigenous forest livelihoods and deliver improved biosecurity outcomes.