December 14, 2023
The 38th Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) Parties meeting was held 29 November to progress strategic and operational priorities and improve the national biosecurity arrangements carried out under the EPPRD.
This included changes to the annual debriefing process and lessons management cycle designed to improve monitoring and review of lessons identified from all debriefs carried out under the EPPRD. The signatories also workshopped policy options developed by a working group on the categorisation processes, and cost sharing under the EPPRD.
In the lead up to the meeting, Plant Health Australia (PHA) collaborated with Parties to identify progress against the actions identified in the 2020 review of the EPPRD. There has been significant progress made by PHA and Government and Industry Parties against these actions, particularly in the areas of training, and biosecurity preparedness.
Earlier this year, Onions Australia announced that they would merge with AUSVEG Ltd and would therefore resign as a signatory to the EPPRD, effective from 1 February 2024. AUSVEG applied to represent hard onions to ensure that the onion industry retains the benefits of being represented under the EPPRD. A vote in favour of AUSVEG’s application at the meeting means that AUSVEG now represents hard onions in addition to all other vegetable crops listed in Schedule 7 of the EPPRD.
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