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 2016–17, nursery production (propagation stock, vegetable and forestry seedlings, bedding plants, indoor plants, fruit and landscape trees and shrubs) was valued at $992 million (LVP). The industry has a limited export focus of approximately $18 million annually, however there is ample opportunity for international export growth.

The nursery industry operates in all states and territories, being one of the largest and most diverse plant industries in Australia. The industry estimates an annual gross production value of approximately $2.5 billion (production nurseries only) in 2019 across the entire supply chain.

NGIA supplies to ornamental retail, landscape, revegetation, 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.

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 including access to pest fact sheets, management plans, videos and the eLearning portal.

In early 2018, NGIA achieved certification and BioSecure HACCP recognition as an Approved Biosecurity Scheme under the Queensland Biosecurity Act 2014, the first such recognition of an industry program in Australia. This was followed by NSW providing equivalent certification under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 in late December 2018.

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

The industry has invested in excess of $5.5 million in biosecurity focused projects including the:

• National Nursery Industry Biosecurity Program (four themes: on-farm biosecurity, biosecurity preparedness, biosecurity awareness and pesticide minor use program) (2015–20)
• Improving Pest Management for the Nursery Industry (2018–20)

Building the Resilience and On-Farm Biosecurity Capacity of the Australian Production Nursery Industry (2015–20) project continues to develop plant biosecurity resources and to upskill industry members and expand knowledge. For example, extension videos covering topics such as site surveillance, intake inspection and crop monitoring have been developed with NGIA and PHA working together since 2016 to produce six to eight new biosecurity videos annually through to 2019.

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.