PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events pre 1900s. Pre 1900s William Farrer joins the New For over 60,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people undertook many agricultural and land management South Wales Department of practices, e.g. fire, while maintaining soil fertility. It is Agriculture with an aim to estimated they used around 5,000 species of food, including South Australia legislates the Vines Protection produce wheat varieties that will tubers such as yams, grain such as native millet, macadamia be rust-resistant, have a higher nuts, fruits and berries. In order to manage pests, they utilised Act 1874 and bans movement of vine cuttings protein content and better milling techniques such as the burning of leaves to repel insects and and rooted vines allowing them to remain free Vineyards in Geelong, fire to maintain species diversity in the landscape of the sap-sucking insects known as phylloxera Victoria are uprooted to and baking quality 1874 manage the outbreak of 1898 phylloxera Stem rust, a devastating wheat disease, 1882 forces farmers to grow wheat inland 1840 where it is drier and hotter 1860 1788 1845 1877 1884 1890 The first wheat is The first shipments of Phylloxera spreads Colonial governments sown in Australia Following the first reported north to New South Australian grown wheat are sighting of the insect in 1875, establish a series of The First Fleet Wales after it is exported to England phylloxera is positively annual national brings orange, detected in Camden identified in Australia in conferences to address lime and lemon 1839 Geelong, Victoria after how best to fight wheat seeds to New infested grapevine planting stem rust South Wales Prickly pear is introduced material is imported from into Australia for use as a Europe 1889 natural agricultural fence A severe rust epidemic costs the 1886 wheat industry £2-3 From 1886 to 1929, rabbit barrier million in lost 1859 and check fences are erected in production 13 European wild rabbits are released Queensland. The total length of onto an estate in Victoria so they can be government, board and private hunted for sport. Rabbits go on to cause fences constructed was 47,404 km millions of dollars of crop damage PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 1900s-1920s. 1900s-1920s 1903 Distribution of William Farrer's 1912 Federation wheat begins. It is a 1906 Citrus canker is recorded for the first rust-resistant, high-yielding, State Premiers agree to hand over time in the Northern Territory strong straw plant administration of quarantine to the Citrus canker is eradicated from the Commonwealth. This change is Northern Territory included in Australia's Constitution, 1922 allowing each state to manage domestic trade, and the Commonwealth to manage the international border 1910 Phylloxera spreads further 1917 1901-1907 north to Queensland First recording of skeleton A rabbit proof fence is built. It extends weed. It subsequently 3,256 km north to south across Western 1909 spreads throughout the Australia The Quarantine Act 1908 south-eastern Australian comes into force wheat belt, dramatically reducing yields and The Federal Quarantine increasing production costs Service is established 1920 1926 Prickly pear covers 24 million Cactoblastis moth is ha of land in Queensland and released as a New South Wales biological control 1915 agent for prickly 1908 An Australian Wheat Board is created under the War pear plants The Quarantine Act 1908 receives royal assent. Precautions Act 1914 to administer a wheat pooling The Act provided a national approach to system, which is designed to assist wheat growers and quarantine ensure appropriate management of food during World The Commonwealth Quarantine Service comes War I. It comprises the Prime Minister and a minister into operation and takes over quarantine from each wheat growing state stations in every Australian state PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 1930s-1960s. 1930s-1960s The International Plant Protection Australia leads the development of quarantine procedures for cargo 1935 Convention is established. Australia is a part of it containers, which are distributed Australia introduces a internationally consolidated set of plant 1952 1968 quarantine regulations, made under the Quarantine Act 1908 The Plant Quarantine Research Station is established within Yarralumla nursery, Australian Capital Territory. It is later moved to Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory 1965 1950 The myxoma virus is 1967 released to introduce CSIRO commences imports myxomatosis disease of of 55 species of dung beetles 1933 rabbits for release in Australia. Their Prickly pear numbers introduction has had a dramatically reduce positive impact on following the release of 1956 sustainable agriculture Cactoblastis moth in The Asia and Pacific Plant 1926 Protection Commission is Last record of phylloxera in established. Australia is a Queensland in suburban member Brisbane 1969 1937 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (now known as the CSIRO) uses The Quarantine Facility for wheat The first commercial crops of canola are grown in Wardang Island, South Australia to conduct the variety importations is established at Australia. Farmers were seeking alternative crops first field trials of the myxoma virus that causes Tamworth, New South Wales to reduce their dependence on cereals. However, myxomatosis disease in rabbits blackleg, a fungal disease, quickly became a serious problem for canola farmers PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 1970s-1980s. 1970s-1980s The Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) is established by AQIS to monitor the presence of target pests and diseases not present The rust fungus, Puccinia The Standing Committee on in Australia but found in countries only several kilometres north of chondrillina, is introduced as a Agriculture establishes the first Australia, including exotic fruit flies, Chromolaena and black Sigatoka formal arrangements between biological control agent for 1989 skeleton weed Commonwealth and States for 1971 dealing with exotic pest incursions The review, Australian Quarantine 1976 Requirements for the Future, by New blackleg resistant varieties of canola are released Professor David Lindsay is released allowing farmers to grow high yields of canola 1988 1978-1987 1989 1980 Moko, a serious bacterial 1975 Quarantine policy and disease of bananas, is A northern surveillance detected in Cairns on 1978 procedures are developed program, primarily for exotic for the importation of tissue heliconia plants imported 1970 Computers are used for fruit flies, is established culture planting material from Hawaii. It has since Victoria sets up the first the first time by plant through cooperation between been eradicated canola breeding program, quarantine Western Australia, Northern Giant African snail, one of with one of the initial Potato cyst nematode is Territory, Queensland and the the most destructive pests to objectives being the eradicated from Western Commonwealth fruit, vegetables and native development of blackleg forests, is eradicated from Australia 1979 resistant varieties Gordonvale in far north 1977 The first Plant Queensland The giant African snail is Quarantine Officer 1986 detected in Gordonvale, is appointed to The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Queensland Thursday Island, Service (AQIS) is established to be responsible Queensland 1982 for animal, pest and plant quarantine, as well 1973 The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research as border control Western Australia and (ACIAR) is established. ACIAR organises and funds research by Potato cyst nematode is first detected in New South Wales Australian and overseas researchers in developing countries in Western Australia establish canola breeding the Indo-Pacific region on livestock, cropping, horticulture, programs fisheries, forestry, land, water and climate issues PLANT BIOSECURITY IN AUSTRALIA A timeline of plant biosecurity events during 1990s. 1996 1990s Rabbits are estimated to cost at least $600 X-ray technology is trialled for 1998 screening of international million annually in lost agricultural production ACIAR funds projects evaluating the resistance of different banana cultivars to Panama passenger baggage at Cairns Australia Quarantine - a shared The public awareness Disease Tropical Race 4 (TR4). Disease-tolerant cultivars that had allowed banana Airport responsibility (the Nairn Report) is campaign, Quarantine Matters!, cultivation to continue in Taiwan are introduced as a stop-gap measure, enabling established to review and make is launched to educate the Market access to the USA for Indonesian farmers to continue some production. Despite researchers' best efforts, TR4 recommendations on Australia's animal Australian community and Australian citrus from the Fruit Fly continued to spread throughout Asia. However, this research would later inform the and plant quarantine policies and international travellers about Pest Free Areas of the Riverina and containment of TR4 in Australia programs quarantine Sunraysia is gained. It is supported by Chromolaena is detected in far north Queensland. A the Queensland Fruit Fly Code of The Torres Strait Fruit Fly Technical Advisory Citrus canker is detected in the Black Sigatoka is detected at long term, nationally funded eradication campaign is Practice Panel (TAP) is established, including Northern