Citrus Australia hosted their annual citrus industry market familiarisation tour from 29 – 30 August in Mildura, Victoria. PHA’s Dr Lucy Tran-Nguyen, General Manager, Partnerships and Innovation, Naomi Wynn, A/Manager Learning and Development, and other key agricultural partners from Hort Innovation and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) attended to learn more about the citrus industry and gain market insight.
Lucy appreciated the opportunity to observe all aspects of the supply chain for the citrus industry.
“From certified pest-free planting material (seed and budwood), to research trials, to packing house, logistics and finally to the consumer, biosecurity is at the forefront for the citrus industry.”
“I particularly enjoyed eating fresh and juicy citrus fruits picked in the orchards and tasting new varieties. Can’t wait to purchase them,” she said.
Thanks to Citrus Australia for hosting this very insightful familiarisation tour.
PHA has recently introduced a new online Biosecurity Surveillance: Protecting Australia’s Forests course, developed with funding provided by Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
The course is available on PHA’s Biosecurity Online Training (BOLT) platform and explores the role biosecurity plays in keeping Australia’s forests healthy, as well as the signs and symptoms for common forestry pests and diseases and how to report them. Aimed at those with an interest in, and who regularly work with trees, the course is designed to:
increase biosecurity awareness
encourage reporting of suspect pest sightings
break down communication barriers between the general public and forest health experts
The course recognises that everyone has a role to play in protecting the Australian forests from new pests or diseases. Additionally, surveillance activities act as an early-warning system and will help to minimise the impact and spread of pests and diseases on the forest industry.
Access to the course is free and should take only one hour to complete. It contains short, graded questions to confirm the learner’s knowledge and reinforce key points of information.
Enrol today or if you have any questions or feedback on the course, please contact the PHA Training team at training@phau.com.au.
Remember: Report any unusual forest pests or symptoms to the Emergency Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881 or by using the MyPestGuide™ Trees application (available from the google play and apple app stores).
The Plant Surveillance Network Australasia-Pacific (PSNAP) and National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Network (NPBDN) have announced a Virtual Annual Diagnostics and Surveillance Workshop (ADSW), a three-hour event to be held Friday, 6 October 2023 at 11.00am (AEDT).
If you missed out on attending the in-person ADSW 2023 event in May, don’t miss this exciting continuation of the theme “Implementation through connections”. Presentations will include the latest developments and updates in plant diagnostics and surveillance:
successful NPBDN residential projects for 2022 and 2023
updates to national protocols
Dr Sharyn Taylor (PHA) will provide an update on the Nationally Integrated Surveillance System for Plant Pests project
Dr Will Cuddy (NSW DPI) will present on the national uplift of State capability in diagnostics and surveillance for the grains industry
Carlos Babativa Rodriguez (WA DPIRD) will speak about on advancements in aerial plant surveillance
Abel Ximenes (DNQB Plant Quarantine International Airport) will deliver a case study on the Khapra beetle infestation in Timor Leste
Harsh Garg (PHA) will provide updates to National Surveillance and Diagnostic Protocols.
The National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Network (NPBDN) is excited to present a fresh digital experience for diagnostic professionals. This user-friendly platform offers seamless navigation on both desktop and mobile devices, making it more intuitive than ever.
The NPBDN serves as a vital communication hub for plant pest diagnostics, fostering collaboration among experts across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific region to bolster diagnostic capabilities.
Dr. Lucy Tran-Nguyen, PHA’s General Manager for Partnerships and Innovation, emphasized the website’s fresh, new, streamlined design, ensuring a visually engaging experience for practitioners.
Members gain access to a wealth of resources, including fact sheets, videos, National Diagnostic Protocols (NDPs), reports, news, insights, training, events, and career opportunities.
The National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic Professional Development and Protocols Project is coordinated by Plant Health Australia and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry. The project’s objectives aim to strengthen Australia’s surveillance capacity in identifying priority plant pests affecting industries, the environment, and the community.
The Plant Surveillance Network Australasia-Pacific (PSNAP) is excited to unveil a refreshed network website for surveillance professionals that provides a more seamless digital experience, both on desktop and mobile, making it more intuitive and easy-to-use.
PSNAP enables members to communicate about plant pest surveillance and acts as a coordination point for professionals and practitioners to strengthen surveillance capability across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region.
“At the centre of the refresh is an easy-to-use website that is more streamlined, offering a visually engaging experience,” said Dr Lucy Tran-Nguyen, PHA General Manager, Partnerships and Innovation.
Designed with practitioners in mind, the website offers members access to the latest surveillance resources, information and training including:
The National Plant Biosecurity Surveillance Professional Development and Protocols Project is coordinated and delivered by Plant Health Australia and is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The objectives of the Project are to enhance and strengthen Australia’s surveillance capacity and capability to identify priority plant pests that impact on plant industries, environment and the community.
Expressions of interest are invited from NPBDN members who would like to attend the Xylella workshop on Friday 24 November 2023 in Adelaide. As an initiative under Plant Health Australia’s (PHA) national plant biosecurity diagnostics and surveillance professional development activities funded through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), travel support will be provided to interested members. The workshop will take place after the Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference (APPS).
Costs covered will include:
workshop registration fee
flights to and from the workshop
one night’s accommodation.
Applications for travel support close on Monday 18 September 2023 at 11.55pm (AEST).
Xylella is listed as Australia’s number one exotic plant pest. To increase capability in detecting this destructive pest, information including images of diseases caused by Xylella, updated sampling protocols, and methods to detect and identify this pathogen from the new National Diagnostics Protocol for Xylella will be presented.
The workshop will be delivered by experts in the field, including Toni Chapman (NSW DPI), Monica Kehoe (DPIRD WA), Luciano Rigano (MPI – NZ), Pragya Kant (Agriculture Victoria) as well as guest speakers Rachel Mann (PHA) and Craig Elliott (P2R2 Consulting).
This workshop is aimed at anyone interested in Xylella, including biosecurity policy makers, emergency response teams, diagnosticians, and industry staff.
Note: travel support is exclusive to NPBDN members. DAFF (Australian Government) staff are not eligible for NPBDN travel funds and are encouraged to submit an EOI and consult their internal manager regarding travel arrangements. If members are attending APPS and are eligible for travel funding, if there is a difference in travel costs, they agree to cover these costs. Workshop numbers are limited. Expressions of interest will be assessed by the Network Implementation Working Group (NIWG) and successful applicants will be notified.
Plant Health Australia (PHA) has recently introduced an online course Biosecurity Surveillance: Protecting Australia’s Forests developed with funding provided by Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).
The course is available on PHA’s Biosecurity Online Training (BOLT) platform and explores the role biosecurity plays in keeping Australia’s forests healthy, as well as the signs and symptoms for common forestry pests and diseases and how to report them. Aimed at those with an interest in and who regularly work with trees, the course is designed to:
increase biosecurity awareness
encourage reporting of suspect pest sightings
break down communication barriers between the general public and forest health experts
The course recognises that everyone has a role to play in protecting the Australian forests from new pests or diseases. Additionally, surveillance activities act as an early-warning system and will help to minimise the impact and spread of pests and diseases on the forest industry.
Access to the course is free and should take only one hour to complete. It contains short, graded questions to confirm the learner’s knowledge and reinforce key points of information.
Enrol today or if you have any questions or feedback on the course, please contact the PHA Training team at training@phau.com.au.
Remember: Report any unusual forest pests or symptoms to the Emergency Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881 or by using the MyPestGuideTM Trees application (available from the google play and apple app stores).
The National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostics Network (NPBDN) helps Australian plant diagnosticians succeed together by working collaboratively to navigate biosecurity challenges.
The August issue of their bi-monthly newsletter has just been published, read it now via the link below.
National Science Week is an annual celebration of science and innovation across Australia. It gives us an opportunity to reflect, share and celebrate the important role of science in our day-to-day lives.
The event aims to spark an interest in science in young people, encouraging and inspiring them to use science to further explore the fascinating world we live in.
At Plant Health Australia (PHA) we work to enhance plant health, to assist in trade of Australia’s produce, to safeguard and support the future of our plant industries, and to preserve a healthy environment.
Central to this, is having data and technology available to improve how we make decisions and respond to biosecurity threats. By adapting technology, we are able to improve our ability in both surveillance and diagnostics. We are continuously working to expand and integrate our digital systems to strengthen Australia’s biosecurity.
PHA’s innovative tool AUSPestCheck®, collates, shares and visualises plant and animal pest surveillance data. AUSPestCheck® provides a secure platform for data to be readily shared between different organisations to leverage information across different surveillance efforts, to help identify gaps in coverage and to inform management decisions.
Fast access to data and information is key to support the quick identification of, and rapid response to, the detection of exotic pests and diseases. The Pest and Disease Image Library, also known as PaDIL is an online database containing high-quality diagnostic images and information tools designed to assist agronomists, biosecurity officers, diagnosticians, and researchers both in Australia and overseas with scientific identification.
PHA’s third digital system the Australian Plant Pest Database (APPD), is an online database of pests and diseases of Australia’s economically important plants. APPD provides access to over 1.4 million pest voucher specimens making it possible to quickly retrieve details of insects, nematodes, fungi, bacteria and viruses that affect plants of economic and ecological significance.
Some of the highlights of PHA’s campaign this year included videos by various PHA staff explaining how they use science and technology in their day-to-day work. An online Plant Health Science quiz on social media was used to drive online engagement to mark celebrations.
The critical need for ongoing national discussions to promote a common understanding, collaboration, and consistency across government, researchers, growers, and other industry stakeholders, was highlighted again this month.
In mid-July I attended an international forum in Brisbane to manage hitchhiker biosecurity risks associated with sea containers. As concerns surrounding the international movement of hitchhiker pests via sea containers rise, Australia is spearheading international efforts to manage biosecurity risks associated with the sea container pathway. The workshop brought together global stakeholders, including government representatives, international organisations and international peak industry bodies, fostering valuable discussions on managing biosecurity risks associated with the sea container pathway.
From 1 July 2023, the Australian Government has increased cost recovery for delivering biosecurity activities for risk creators and importers. An average price increase of 28% across biosecurity fee and charge points commenced this year and now fully reflect costs for the first time since 2015. Government is currently consulting on the best way to design and implement these arrangements. If you would like to be involved, please register your interest.
In late July, the National Fruit Fly Council hosted the bi-annual National Fruit Fly Symposium in Adelaide. The two-day hybrid event focussed on understanding the challenges and many interactions in the fruit fly system and identifying key solutions and improvements for future national success. The event reiterated the need for a strong nationally coordinated fruit fly system to ensure growers and governments have the tools to understand and successfully manage the threat. With 120 delegates in attendance, there was real value in having industry and government stakeholders in one room to address fruit fly issues at a national level.
We rounded off July with a two-day Board Strategy workshop. Discussions centred around our current business model and its performance and role in enabling us in delivering our Strategic Plan 2022-27 to strengthen the Australian plant biosecurity system.
Last week, we celebrated National Science Week. At PHA we work to enhance plant health, to assist in the trade of Australia’s produce, to safeguard and support the future of our plant industries, and to preserve a healthy environment. Central to this, is having data and technology available to improve how we make decisions and respond to biosecurity threats. By adapting technology, we can improve our ability in both surveillance and diagnostics. National Science Week provided a great opportunity to share our knowledge and shine a spotlight on the important role of science in plant biosecurity and encourage an interest in science in general, and as a career pathway.
This week I presented at the Seed Business Convention in Adelaide on how serious plant diseases can be seed-borne, resulting in significant crop losses and how the uncontrolled movement of infected seed between regions can result in the rapid expansion of the area affected by plant diseases.
This month, we would like to congratulate Dr Yvonne Ogaji on recently receiving her PhD that was conferred in July. Well done Yvonne!
We have another great edition lined up for you with a good mix of information and stories from a range of sectors. Happy reading!
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