The National Plant Biosecurity Status Report 2014 © Plant Health Australia 2015 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 2014 to 31 December 2014, 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 (2014). 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 14 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 18 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 20 Department of Environment 20 Department of Immigration and Border Protection 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 CHAPTER 2 THREATS TO AUSTRALIA’S PLANT PRODUCTION 87 2.1 Australia’s High Priority Pests 89 2.2 Australia’s regionalised pests 98 2.3 Responses to Emergency Plant Pests 102 2.4 Managing weed threats in Australia 105 Image courtesy of Canned Fruit Industry Council of Australia CHAPTER 3 MAINTAINING AUSTRALIA’S PLANT BIOSECURITY STATUS 109 3.1 Biosecurity and international trade 110 International agreements 111 Imports 114 Exports 116 3.2 Pre-border activities 120 Risk assessments 120 Verifications, inspections and audits 120 International plant health 121 Building capacity in the Asia-Pacific egionr 121 Intelligence 121 3.3 Activities at the border 122 Screening and inspection 122 Post-entry plant quarantine 122 Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy 123 3.4 Post-border activities 125 Domestic quarantine 126 Pre-emptive biosecurity planning 127 National management of fruit flies 127 Pest management 128 Pre-emptive breeding 130 Surveillance 130 Diagnostics 140 Forest health 151 On-farm biosecurity 152 Plant biosecurity communication 153 CHAPTER 4 RESPONDING TO PLANT PEST INCURSIONS 155 4.1 The Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed 156 National Management Group 157 Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests 157 Categorisation group 157 4.2 PLANTPLAN 159 Contingency planning 159 Training 164 CHAPTER 5 RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND EXTENSION 167 5.1 National Plant Biosecurity RD&E Strategy 169 5.2 Australian Government RD&E 170 Australian Government agencies and statutory authorities 170 Cooperative Research Centres 170 Research and Development Corporations 172 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 2014 176 APPENDICES 197 INDEX 207 Image courtesy of Elaine Tou Tables and figures Case Studies TABLES Chapter 1 Unmanned helicopters used to combat weeds 21 Table 1. Plant biosecurity related legislation 14 New tool makes biosecurity second nature 25 Table 2. Plant Health Australia’s members 28 WA mobile app to identify and report grain pests 51 Tables 3-34. Industry specific High Priority Pest lists 32-85 Chapter 2 Banana freckle sparks huge eradication response 97 Table 35. High Priority Pests designated during biosecurity planning 90 Table 36. Australia’s regionalised pests 99 Chapter 3 Blowing in the wind – long distance natural dispersal of pests 120 Table 37. Emergency responses to plant pests under EPPRD arrangements 103 Reducing plant quarantine times 124 Table 38. Pest detections notified under EPPRD arrangements that did International workshop on spray drift assessment 129 not result in a formal Cost-Shared emergency response 104 Harnessing the power of honey bees for crop pollination 137 Table 39. Department of Agriculture finalised and draft import policy advice 114 Award winner withstands disease threat to bananas 153 Table 40. Market access achievements for plant products since 2000 117 Table 41. Australian post-entry plant quarantine facilities 122 Chapter 4. Ginger industry signs the EPPRD, bringing the total number of Table 42. Current industry biosecurity plans covering Australia’s plant industries 127 industry Parties to 30 158 Table 43. Australia’s plant biosecurity surveillance programs 131 Emergency response changes in 2014 159 Table 44. Samples examined for pests of bees, by state and territory, 2014 139 Chapter 5. Diagnosing a serious plant pest 171 Table 45. Samples examined for pests of bees and pest bees, by agent, 2014 139 Table 46. Australia’s diagnostic services, their capabilities and accreditations 141 Table 47. National Diagnostic Protocols 148 Table 48. Biosecurity manuals for producers of various industries 152 Table 49. Description of the EPP categories and the associated Affected Party Cost Sharing splits 157 Table 50. Contingency plans 160 Table 51. Plant biosecurity research projects 178 FIGURES Figure 1. Value of plant and animal production industries in Australia 9 Figure 2. National biosecurity committees and working groups with plant focus 17 Figure 3. Department of Agriculture regional boundaries for biosecurity operations 19 Figure 4. Comparative value of Australia’s plant production industries 30 Figures 5-72. Industry production data 84 Figure 73. Key components of Australia’s plant biosecurity continuum 110 Figure 74. NAQS surveillance area 123 Figure 75. Quarantine zones in the Torres Strait 123 Figure 76. Surveillance programs by target host 137 Figure 77. Surveillance programs by target pest type 137 Figure 78. National Diagnostic Protocol endorsement process 146 Figures 79-82. RD&E project summaries 176-177 Image courtesy of PBCRC Image courtesy of PBCRC Foreword This 7th edition of the National Plant Biosecurity Status Report provides a synopsis of the No one knows where Australia’s next plant biosecurity challenge will come from, but it is plant biosecurity system in Australia in 2014. reassuring to know that whatever it is, there is an extensive system set to minimise any impacts. In a constantly changing environment this is exactly what is required to protect the Chapter 1 presents the architecture of the system, introducing all the major players and economy, livelihoods, communities and the environment. showing how industry and government stakeholders work together to protect our plant industries and unique natural environment. PHA thanks all of the contributors to this volume. It wouldn’t be possible to compile without your cooperation. Pests of significance are detailed in Chapter 2, including exotic pests that have been identified as posing the largest risk to Australia, the pests that are currently being contained to regions of the country and those that prompted some response activity under the terms of the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed. Chapter 3 charts the myriad activities that are carried out all over Australia, as well as at the border and pre-border, to combat plant pests. Activities range from complying with Dr Tony Gregson AM, FTSE international phytosanitary agreements, carrying out import risk analyses on proposed imports, the efforts of the Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy to keep pests of the tropics from entering to pest surveillance activities and on-farm biosecurity. Australia’s emergency plant pest response system is described in Chapter 4, along with a list of contingency plans that set out how particular pests would be dealt with in the event of an incursion. The report concludes with Chapter 5, which provides updated data on all the plant biosecurity