ABOVE: Plant Health Australia CEO Sarah Corcoran launched the biosecurity plan at AGIC 2024.
A new plan has been unveiled to strengthen biosecurity protections and further safeguard the $32 billion Australian grains industry by delivering a range of targeted activities and investments.
The Australian Grains Industry Biosecurity Plan was launched by grains industry leaders at the Australian Grains Industry Conference in Melbourne recently.
The plan will give industry, governments and stakeholders the expert framework and focus needed to help prevent, prepare for and respond to grains-specific biosecurity incursions.
Developed in collaboration with industry leaders and biosecurity experts, more than 1300 different plant pests and disease threats have been identified in the plan.
It also details the specific programs and activities needed to take proactive action and protect growers, industry and the economy from these biosecurity threats.
Plant Health Australia, the coordinator of the Australian plant biosecurity system, has led the process – supported by Grain Producers Australia in consultation with other industry leaders, grains industry stakeholders and government partners – to include their expertise in the plan’s development.
Built on the principles of shared ownership and responsibility, a focus on strong collaboration and engagement will continue throughout the life of the plan to ensure success.
GPA chair and WA grain producer Barry Large said the plan’s launch was a good news story for all Australian grain producers and the wider grains industry and economy, and the start of a longer journey to increase biosecurity capacity and capability.
“We know khapra beetle is public enemy number one for our industry, with a potential $15 billion plus hit to the economy – and that’s just one of many grains-related biosecurity challenges we face,” Mr Large said.
“This plan however will implement the projects and initiatives we need to fight back against these pests and diseases that pose a constant threat to our livelihoods.
“Everyone will benefit from this new uplift in investments, actions and activities to help strengthen biosecurity protections specific to the grains sector – not just growers.
“This also demonstrates that we’re talking the talk and walking the walk on biosecurity, by harnessing our resources and being proactive to further protect the profitability and sustainability of our industry.”
PHA national manager for preparedness and research, development and extension Stuart Kearns said governments, industry, researchers and the public were beneficiaries of a strong and prepared biosecurity system.
The plan details current mitigation and surveillance activities being undertaken and identifies contingency plans, fact sheets and diagnostic protocols.
“This biosecurity plan is an implementation plan at its core,” Mr Kearns said.
“We’ve built on past efforts to identify current and potential plant pests with a practical guide that has identified where we need to focus surveillance, education and mitigation.
“This will ensure both industry and government are able to make informed decisions about the growing biosecurity threat in Australia.
“The plan includes current initiatives and highlights areas requiring further work and will be consistently updated to assess progress.”
Mr Kearns said the plan will be regularly reviewed and updated throughout its life to reflect activities, outcomes and newly identified issues.
Grains Research and Development Corporation managing director Nigel Hart said biosecurity was a critical cross industry issue that needed a united and collaborative approach from the grains sector.
“GRDC has long been an advocate of research, development and extension investments that support and inform improved biosecurity practices and effectively equips the grains industry to prepare and guard against the very real threat exotic pests and diseases pose to agriculture,” Mr Hart said.
“This all-of-industry plan is another important tool in ensuring we have the systems in place to allow us to be responsive and act in a timely way – two critical factors that can be the difference between effective control and devastation of an industry.”
Together with GPA, PHA and GRDC, the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, GrainGrowers and state and territory governments have provided their input and endorsed the plan.
This collaboration provides the Australian grains industry and government – as the decision makers when it comes to biosecurity management – with a mechanism to deliver an effective plant biosecurity system.
GrainGrowers welcomes the release of the Grains Biosecurity Plan and recognises biosecurity as a shared responsibility among government, industries and individuals.
GrainGrowers chief executive officer Shona Gawel said in the face of changing biosecurity threats, the industry can no longer rely on geographic isolation and must play an active role in protection from exotic plant pest threats.
“The Grains Biosecurity Plan identifies the actions required from stakeholders and highlights the collaborative approach required to secure the industry from biosecurity threats,” Ms Gawel said.
“One of the key benefits of this approach is that the industry can clearly see the actions required, understand the current gaps and consider the work required to rectify any blind spots.”
Ms Gawel said the broader collaborative approach positions the industry to use its available resources better to implement a focused strategy that can meet the future biosecurity challenges of the Australian grains industry.
The plan developed a series of threat summary tables that identified exotic pests known to affect grain crops overseas and assessed their overall risk to the industry based on four criteria – entry, establishment, spread potential and economic impact.
It also includes details on current mitigation and surveillance activities being undertaken and identifies contingency plans, fact sheets and diagnostic protocols that have been developed for pests relevant to the grains industry.
More than 50 new and existing activities have been identified by PHA and the GRDC that will be the target of investment to strengthen biosecurity efforts.
These include:
- Ramping up surveillance efforts and their coordination
- Expanding the Grains Farm Biosecurity Program to drive plan activities
- Increasing education, training and simulations to prepare industry for an incursion.
For more information, visit the Grains Farm Biosecurity Program at grainsbiosecurity.com.au
