Production nurseries

The Nursery and Garden Industry Australia represents the biosecurity interests of the industry. They are members of Plant Health Australia and signatories to the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed. Their responsibilities include:

• biosecurity planning and implementation at the national and farm levels
• liaising with federal and state governments on trade issues
• funding and supporting biosecurity initiatives
• participating in national committees and response efforts in an emergency.

Industry overview

In 2015–16, nursery production (propagation stock, vegetable and forestry seedlings, bedding plants, indoor plants, fruit and landscape trees and shrubs) was valued at $657 million (LVP). The nursery industry operates in all states and territories, being one of the largest and most diverse plant industries in Australia.

ursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA) supplies to ornamental retail, landscape, re-vegetation, rehabilitation and production horticulture sectors including tree crops (e.g. fruit, vines, tea tree), vegetables, forestry and cut flowers with a combined annual production value of more than $15 billion. The industry has a limited export focus of approximately $18 million annually, however there is ample opportunity for international export growth.

In 2016 NGIA developed the Nursery Production Farm Management System website nurseryproductionfms.com.au which is the one-stop shop for industry biosecurity information for growers. It holds pest fact sheets, management plans, videos and the eLearning portal.

NGIA continues to work in partnership with state and territory governments in the roll out of BioSecure HACCP with legal recognition achieved in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, SA and WA by the end of 2017, allowing certified producers to self-certify consignments of nursery stock for interstate market access.

The industry has invested over $5 million in biosecurity focused projects to develop plant biosecurity resources and upskill industry members:

• The National Nursery Industry Biosecurity Program (2015–2020) (Themes: on-farm biosecurity, biosecurity preparedness, biosecurity awareness and pesticide minor use).
• The national plant health project Building the Resilience and On-Farm Biosecurity Capacity of the Australian Production Nursery Industry (2015–2020).

Since 2016 several extension videos covering site surveillance, intake inspection and crop monitoring have been developed by NGIA and PHA. Others are scheduled for development.

The industry continues to build the online electronic plant pest identification resource Pest ID Tool pestid.com.au which combines information and images on endemic and key exotic plant pests that impact on production or trade.

The nursery industry is covered by version 3.0 of the biosecurity plan for the nursery industry and the Biosecurity Manual for the Nursery Production Industry Version 1.0.