19th Farm Biosecurity News
Each edition examines one of our top five Farm Biosecurity risk areas. These issues directly relate to biosecurity risks on properties and provide you with helpful information relating to prevention and risk mitigation.
This edition celebrates the winners of the inaugural Farm Biosecurity Award, Swift Australia and Flockowners of Broken Hill, who were awarded for their commitment to biosecurity and the positive outcomes achieved by implementing simple biosecurity measures.
For additional information on Farm Biosecurity visit the Farm Biosecurity website at www.farmbiosecurity.com.au
Our farm biosecurity advice is designed to be simple, clear and easy to use. Please share these articles with your colleagues and members and feel free to use them in your own industry or member publications.
Farm Biosecurity Award winners lead the way
Swift Australia and Flockowners of Broken Hill have set a very high standard as winners of the first Farm Biosecurity Awards.
Farm Biosecurity spokesman Duncan Rowland said it was terrific to see so much evidence of biosecurity awareness and understanding.
“The Farm Biosecurity program aims to raise awareness and the word is really getting out there. Producers are starting to recognise the benefits of implementing simple effective biosecurity measures,” said Mr Rowland.
“We were surprised by the depth of understanding shown in the nominations. The top 10 entries were outstanding and it was very difficult to narrow them down to just two winners,” said Mr Rowland.
Swift Australia and Flockowners of Broken Hill were ultimately awarded for their demonstrated commitment to biosecurity and for the positive outcomes they have achieved by implementing simple biosecurity measures.
Swift Australia won an award for its comprehensive, companywide biosecurity strategy, recently implemented to support the security of the business. Swift Australia employs over 7,000 people nationally and provides products to more than 50 countries across the globe. To ensure that they can continue to deliver to their clients, they have implemented a quality assured biosecurity program across all of their properties in
The second award was presented to the Flockowners of Broken Hill for their cooperative effort in preventing ovine Johne’s disease from entering their region.
In 1997, Broken Hill’s flockowners decided to work together to keep out OJD. This insidious disease was sweeping across cooler, wetter areas of NSW and Victoria and resulting in significant market losses for those affected. The flock owners worked with veterinarians to implement biosecurity measures to demonstrate that their flocks had little to no risk of being infected and to build awareness of OJD and how to prevent it when introducing sheep. This included educating themselves on the need to check the risk of sheep introduced to the area being infected with OJD.
Their ongoing voluntary work has ensured no Broken Hill flock has been infected.
The awards were announced at a gala dinner in Canberra on 19 September. Winners each received $2,000 and a hand crafted glass trophy.
The Farm Biosecurity program is a joint initiative of Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia and the two companies have co-sponsored the Farm Biosecurity Award to promote greater understanding of the importance of biosecurity on farm.
The Rural and Outback Awards were developed by Imparja Television and the Australian Department of Defence to encourage, acknowledge and reward valuable contributions and outstanding achievements in rural and outback areas.
For more information on the Farm Biosecurity program visit www.farmbiosecurity.com.au.
top:(left to right), Greg Fraser, CEO Plant Health Australia, James Palfreeman, Swift Australia, and Mike Bond, CEO Animal Health Australia.
bottom:(left to right), Mike Bond, CEO Animal Health Australia, Max Hams and David Gowing from Flockowners of Broken Hill, and Greg Fraser, CEO Plant Health Australia.
Other finalists for the Farm Biosecurity Award
CropSafe Program Team (Epsom, Victoria) – CropSafe aims to report and diagnose biosecurity issues and has developed a model that many sectors could emulate. CropSafe is a collaborative efort that harnesses the knowledge, shill and goodwill of hundreds of field agronomists to act as the ‘first detectors’ of potential exotic pest and disease incursions. The CropSafe team operates as a passive biosecurity surveillance and awareness building network covering the vast majority of the Victorian grains belt, it has also invested into providing free diagnosis and education.
Liz & Piers Benwell (Lower Chittering, WA) - Initially aiming to gain organic certification for their farm, Liz and Piers Benwell discovered the need to maintain adequate farming biosecurity measures, including protecting the farm from pests and disease, limiting animal movements and visitor control. By implementing their strategies, the Benwell’s also discovered how much easier it was to maintain their certified organic status, giving them motivation to continue to implement more biosecurity measures and give them the room and confidence to grow as a business.
Developing issues and trends
Building industry protection
The latest round of biosecurity planning by Plant Health Australia - in partnership with industry peak bodies -is bearing fruit. This week the new Olive Industry Biosecurity Plan (IBP) was launched at the Australian Olive Expo in Canberra.
Meanwhile, in South Australia, an Orchard Biosecurity Manual for the Almond Industry is also being launched at the Annual Almond Industry Conference in the Barossa Valley, coinciding with the review of the Nut IBP.
Then next week, a new Orchard Biosecurity Manual for the Citrus Industry and revised Citrus IBP will released to citrus growers.
There are now IBP’s for 21 plant industries, providing a mechanism for each industry, government and other relevant stakeholders to assess current biosecurity practices and future biosecurity needs, and identify procedures that can be put in place to reduce the chance of pests reaching our borders or minimise the impact if a pest incursion occurs. Examples can be seen via: http://www.planthealthaustralia.com.au/go/biosecurity
Biosecurity Manuals assist growers protect their farm and industry from invasive plant pests using simple, effective preventative strategies. Existing Farm Biosecurity Manuals are available in the TOOLKIT section of the Farm Biosecurity website: http://www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/secure-your-future/plant-industry-farm-biosecurity-manuals.cfm
Biosecurity developments and member news
PHER Refresh!
Celebrate your plant health experience!
Register with PHER before 13 November 2009 and you could WIN a bottle of 2002 Arras Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir, kindly provided by the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia.
The Plant Health Experience Register (PHER) has been refreshed, making it even more effective. It is a tool to aid communication and collaboration within the plant health community and help improve response times in the event of an exotic plant pest incursion.
The secure database maintains information on professionals with plant health experience, including their specific crop, pest or management expertise, qualifications and contact details. The database currently contains detail on more than 280 plant health professionals, including entomologists, pathologists and crop specialists from Australia.
Improvements have been made to the search functionality, the way in which experience information is recorded and managed, and the look and feel of the database.
The success of PHER, as a network and as an emergency management tool, relies on your involvement. Registration on PHER is now available to anyone who has experience in:
- plant pest diagnostics (invertebrates and/or pathogens)
- entomology or pathology research
- pest management
- epidemiology
- surveillance
- pest data and information management
- any other technical areas relevant to plant health.
To register, simply visit the PHER website here and fill out a short ‘new user application’ form – and encourage your colleagues to do the same! If you are already registered on the database, login in and check out the new features – and don’t forget to make sure your details are up to date.
ALFA Animal Health Workshops
ALFA (Australian Lot Feeders’ Association) will be running Animal Health Workshops throughout November in selected east coast and WA locations. The workshops will focus on feeder preparation as well as pen riding, BRD, hospital management, digestive issues, animal welfare and heat load, and are open to all feedlot staff and cattle suppliers. For more: contact Annemarie Greaves at ALFA on 02 9290 3700 or email annemarie.greaves@feedlots.com.au
National Fruit Fly Strategy Implementation Action Plan
Invitation to comment
All stakeholders are invited to provide comment on the draft National Fruit Fly Strategy (NFFS) Implementation Action Plan, which was released this week for stakeholder consultation.
With a vision that fruit flies are no longer a constraint to sustainable production, the draft NFFS was released last year to implement an effective national management strategy for the control of all fruit fly species in Australia. This draft Action Plan isdesigned to implement critical Recommendations and Strategies contained in the draft NFFS.
Comments and responses from all stakeholders are encouraged over the next two month period. In particular:
- Is the technical approach presented in the Plan appropriate and effective?
- Are there any key fruit fly management components not adequately addressed by the NFFS Implementation Committee Action Plan?
- Are there any other additional projects that can be identified and what outcomes would be achieved from them?
- Should any of the projects and initiatives be undertaken as a matter of priority?
A copy of the draft Implementation Action Plan together with the draft NFFS can be found at http://www.phau.com.au/go/phau/strategies-and-policy.
Comment on the plan can be provided to the NFFS Implementation Committee via Plant Health Australia. Please forward comments to James Garden (jgarden@phau.com.au or phone 02 6215 7711) by 2 January 2010.
Following feedback and finalisation of the Implementation Action Plan, the NFFS Implementation Committee will develop a fully costed, draft investment plan, based on benefit:cost and beneficiary analyses, which will be circulated widely for further comment.
Farm Biosecurity Weekly Media Snapshot
Local news….
More H1N1 in Queensland
A piggery near Toowoomba, south-west Queensland, has been placed under quarantine after test results came back positive for Influenza A H1N1. For more: http://www.getfarming.com.au/pages/farming/news_view.php?nId=9100147&cId=2
Asian honeybees still swarming in FNQ - ABC Rural 09 Oct-09
While Asian honeybees are still spreading across Far North Queensland, there is a view they may be in decline. The pest bees were first found in a yacht at the Cairns Harbour two and a half years ago. For more: http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/200910/s2709510.htm
Hendra Virus
The Queensland Horse Stud at the centre of a Hendra Virus infection in August has had its quarantine status lifted. For more: http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story/2009/10/14/horse-stud-quarantine-lifted/
Meanwhile, the remaining properties involved in the recent Hendra virus incidents in central
Professor Lesley Hughes, of Sydney's Macquarie University, says that bats once only found in the north are now seen as far south as Melbourne. With more than 1.2 million horses in Australia, all are at risk if they live and graze on pastures near where bats roost or feed. This increased risk means that horse owners need to keep a close eye on their stock, and take preventative action. For more: http://www.tweednews.com.au/story/2009/10/20/hendra-carrying-bats-move-south/
Sterile flies seek Melbourne mates
Almost one million bright pink, sterile fruit flies have been released in Melbourne's inner north-western suburbs, to stem an outbreak of the Queensland fruit fly.
It's a far cry from Victoria's fruit growing areas, but the project is designed to protect Melbourne's major distribution point for fresh produce, the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market on Footscray Road.
For more: http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/200910/s2719793.ht
National Llama and Alpaca ID system next year
The alpaca and llama industry will be another livestock industry to implement a NILS system, enabling stock movement tracking and traceback should an animal disease outbreak occur.
For more: http://www.ypct.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6068&Itemid=68
Around the world….
USA H1N1 exposure still increasing
New figures show H1N1 continues to spread across the USA: it exists in 10 more states than it did a week ago. And according to one expert, Swine flu is present 'in virtually the entire country'. For more:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-swine-flu102009oct10,0,6684832.story
Spiders ‘of the night’ combat insect pests
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Texas are staying up late to search for beneficial insects that feed on crops pest eggs at night.
For more: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/091006.htm
Hawaiian agriculture suffers from varroa mite at mandibles
As a warning for Australian primary producers and quarantine workers, the repercussions from the existence of the varroa mite in Hawaii continues to mount. Australia is now the last major varroa-free country. For more: http://www.hawaii247.org/2009/10/02/the-bees-and-the-trees-and-tomatoes-cucumbers-melons-mac-nuts%E2%80%A6/
Weeds threatening New Zealand South Island
A range of weeds that represent a new threat to the south of the South Island of New Zealand have been listed at the Biosecurity Institute's annual conference at Queenstown
For more: http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/queenstown/78171/new-weeds-threaten-south
Other news….
Slippery customers
Scientist from Britain's Cambridge University have developed an insect repellent which makes them slip off anything they try to climb or land on.
For more: http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/200910/s2714842.htm
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For more information on Farm Biosecurity visit www.farmbiosecurity.com.au