The National Plant Biosecurity Status Report 2016 © Plant Health Australia 2017 Disclaimer: This publication is published by Plant Health Australia for information purposes only. Information in the document is drawn from a variety of sources outside This work is copyright. Apart from any use as Plant Health Australia. Although reasonable care was taken in its preparation, Plant Health permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part Australia does not warrant the accuracy, reliability, completeness or currency of the may be reproduced by any process without prior information, or its usefulness in achieving any purpose. permission from Plant Health Australia. Given that there are continuous changes in trade patterns, pest distributions, control Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction measures and agricultural practices, this report can only provide a snapshot in time. and rights should be addressed to: Therefore, all information contained in this report has been collected for the 12 month period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016, and should be validated and Communications Manager confirmed with the relevant organisations/authorities before being used. A list of Plant Health Australia contact details (including websites) is provided in the Appendices. 1/1 Phipps Close DEAKIN ACT 2600 To the fullest extent permitted by law, Plant Health Australia will not be liable for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred in or arising by reason of any person relying on the ISSN 1838-8116 information in this publication. Readers should make and rely on their own assessment An electronic version of this report is available for and enquiries to verify the accuracy of the information provided. download from the Plant Health Australia website. Print copies can be ordered by contacting Plant Health Australia. In referencing this document, the preferred citation is: National Plant Biosecurity Status Report (2016). Plant Health Australia, Canberra, ACT. Contents OVERVIEW 7 CHAPTER 1 THE PLANT BIOSECURITY SYSTEM IN AUSTRALIA 11 1.1 Plant biosecurity policy and legislation 12 Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity 13 National Plant Biosecurity Strategy 13 Biosecurity legislation 14 1.2 National committees 16 National Biosecurity Committee 16 Plant Health Committee 16 1.3 Australian Government plant health services 18 Department of Agriculture and Water Resources 18 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 20 Department of Environment and Energy 20 Department of Immigration and Border Protection 20 Department of Industry, Innovation and Science 20 Other government organisations 20 1.4 State and territory plant biosecurity services 21 Australian Capital Territory 22 New South Wales 22 Northern Territory 22 Queensland 23 South Australia 23 Tasmania 23 Victoria 24 Western Australia 24 1.5 Private sector plant biosecurity services 26 Private consultants and commercial agronomists 26 Professional associations 26 Australian aerial agriculture operators 26 1.6 Plant Health Australia 27 1.7 Australia’s plant production industries 30 Industry representative bodies and growers 30 Crop production summary 30 Industry profiles 31–87 CHAPTER 2 THREATS TO AUSTRALIA’S PLANT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENT 89 2.1 High Priority Pests 91 2.2 Australia’s regionalised pests 100 2.3 Responses to Emergency Plant Pests 104 Cost shared emergency responses in 2016 104 2.4 Managing weed threats in Australia 108 Weeds of National Significance 108 Weed prevention 109 Eradication and containment 109 Weed management 110 Coordination of weed management 110 CHAPTER 3 MAINTAINING AUSTRALIA’S PLANT BIOSECURITY STATUS 113 3.1 Biosecurity and international trade 114 Participating in international plant pest agreements 115 Regulating imports to manage risk 118 Ensuring Australian exports meet required standards 120 3.2 Pre-border activities 124 Verifications, inspections and audits 124 Participating in international plant health systems 125 Building capacity in the Asia-Pacific region 125 Anticipating exotic plant pest threats 125 3.3 Activities at the border 126 Screening and inspection 126 Protecting our northern coastline – Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy 127 3.4 Post-border activities 128 Post-entry plant quarantine 128 Domestic quarantine 130 Pre-emptive biosecurity planning 130 Managing economically significant species of fruit flies 131 Pest management 132 Pre-emptive breeding 134 Surveillance for exotic species 134 Diagnostics – accurate identification of plant pests 144 Forest Health and Biosecurity Subcommittee 155 On-farm biosecurity 156 Biosecurity officers on the ground 156 Plant biosecurity communication 157 CHAPTER 4 RESPONDING TO PLANT PEST INCURSIONS 159 4.1 The Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed 160 National Management Group 161 Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests 161 Categorisation group 161 4.2 PLANTPLAN 162 Contingency planning 162 Training and evaluation 167 CHAPTER 5 RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND EXTENSION 169 5.1 National Plant Biosecurity RD&E Strategy 171 5.2 Australian Government RD&E 172 Australian Government agencies and statutory authorities 172 Cooperative Research Centres 173 Research and development corporations 173 5.3 State and territory government RD&E 175 5.4 University and private research institution RD&E 175 5.5 Plant biosecurity RD&E in 2016 176 Research, development and extension projects 177 APPENDICES 201 Appendix 1 Organisation contact details 202 Appendix 2 Glossary 206 Appendix 3 Acronyms 208 INDEX 211 Tables Case Studies Table 1. Plant biosecurity related legislation 14 Chapter 1 Preventing pests from hitchhiking around Australia 21 Table 2. Plant Health Australia’s members at end December 2016 27 New SA sterile insect facility to tackle fruit fly 24 Table 3–38. Industry specific High Priority Pest lists 32–87 Russian wheat aphid spread tracked by AUSPestCheck 51 Table 39. High Priority Pests threats 92–9 Chapter 2 How pollination will change if Varroa destructor mite establishes in Table 40. Australia’s regionalised pests 101–3 Australian hives 91 Table 41. Emergency responses to plant pests under EPPRD arrangements 105 Table 42. Pest detections notified under the EPPRD that did not result in Xylella preparedness and prevention workshop 99 a formal cost-shared emergency response 106–7 Eradicating orange hawkweed from the highlands 111 Table 43. Department of Agriculture and Water Resources finalised and draft Chapter 3 Australia elected Chair of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures 124 import policy advice 118–9 Australian Government border inspections and unusual interceptions 129 Table 44. Australia's export legislation, administered by the Department of On-farm biosecurity planning app 133 Agriculture and Water Resources 120 Table 45. Market access achievements for plant product exports from New laws make biosecurity everyone’s responsibility 136 Australia since 2000 121–3 Top 40 exotic pests targeted 144 Table 46. Australian post-entry plant quarantine facilities, 2016 128 Chapter 4 Exercise Haryana improves readiness for an exotic pest of grains 162 Table 47. Current industry biosecurity plans covering Australia’s plant industries 131 Chapter 5 Shining a LAMP on bacteria in the field 175 Table 48. Sales of plant chemicals in Australia, 2015 versus 2016 132 Setting directions for plant biosecurity research 198 Table 49. Australia’s plant biosecurity surveillance programs 137–42 Table 50. Number of samples undertaken in the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program by state and pest, 2016 143 Table 51. Australia’s diagnostic services, their capabilities and accreditations 146–50 Table 52. National Diagnostic Protocols 152–4 Table 53. Current PHA biosecurity manuals for producers of various industries 157 Table 54. EPP categories and the associated Affected Party Cost Sharing splits 161 Table 55. Contingency plans 163–6 Table 56. Plant biosecurity research projects 178–98 Figures Figure 1. Australia's climate zones allow production of many crops 9 Figure 2. Value of plant and animal production industries in Australia 9 Figure 3. National biosecurity committees and the associated working groups 17 Figure 4. Regional boundaries for Department of Agriculture and Water Resources border biosecurity operations 19 Figure 5. Comparative value of Australia’s plant production industries, 2014–15 30 Figure 6–81. Industry production data 32–87 Figure 82. Key components of Australia’s plant biosecurity system 114 Figure 83. NAQS surveillance area 127 Figure 84. Quarantine zones in the Torres Strait 127 Figure 85. Surveillance programs by target host 135 Figure 86. Surveillance programs by target pest type 135 Figure 87. National Diagnostic Protocol endorsement process 145 Figure 88–92. RD&E project summaries 176–7 Image courtesy of Helen Carpenter Image courtesy of Jeff Reynolds Foreword With increasing globalisation, biosecurity has never been more important for Australia. The report describes the roles that governments play in the system, as well as the efforts Our island nation has a vast coastline with over 70 ports, eight major international airports of plant industries and individual farmers, our research institutions, community groups, and in 2016, travellers crossed Australia’s external borders 37.7 million times. Since every indigenous communities particularly in the tropical north, and every day Australians. movement of goods and people poses the risk of importing a new pest, the challenge of It lists the preparedness activities that have been undertaken to identify and protect protecting Australia’s unique natural