21st Farm Biosecurity News
The year has quickly wound down and most of us are eagerly looking for a short break in our busy worlds.
This is Farm Biosecurity’s last newsletter for 2009 – we’ll be back in January 2010 with more news and views.
Until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – one and all!
Focusing on: Grain storage
It’s the time of the year when the nation’s grain crop is quickly reaped from the paddocks and put away in storages large and small across
It’s also the time of the year when all those small borers and beetles and weevils get to work on eating through as much grain as possible, and get about breeding up their numbers.
Yet, while graingrowers devote enormous expense and energy to nurturing their crops to harvest, many then shunt their grain into a silo and shut the door.
However, this is rapidly changing according to Lisa Sherriff, Plant Health
“There is a wide range of facilities out there, and there is now major investment in on-farm silos as grain buyers and accumulators increasingly approach growers directly to secure parcels of grain for either domestic or export sales.
She says while on-farm storage gives growers more marketing control and flexibility, quality control becomes their responsibility.
“This means using an appropriate mix of storage facilities, the right equipment, learning how to control pests and maintaining product / food quality while in storage.“
Lisa Sherriff emphasises three key points:
- Hygiene - ensuring grain is not left in the ‘nooks and crannies’ favoured by insects
- Aeration - making the best possible use of cooling, an aid to grain quality and suppressing insect breeding
- Have a monitoring and fumigation strategy - checking grain monthly and using correct fumigation practices to avoid last minute “quick-fix” attempts during out-turn
She says focusing on these three will go a long way to good outcomes for grain quality, pest control and Australia ’s grain industry biosecurity.
For more information: http://www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/news/articles.cfm
Developing issues and trends
Santa, Dasher et al are ‘free to roam’
The imminent arrival of an intercontinental X-press delivery service has been given a ‘bio-security all-clear’.
FEDERAL Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has been reported as announcing that Santa Claus and his four-legged friends have been given a good going over for the greater good of the nation.
"Santa [has] met Australia's strict biosecurity requirements by ensuring his reindeer, sleigh and sack full of presents were not carrying pests or diseases.
“It really doesn't matter who you are when it comes to protecting Australia's plants and animals from disease - everyone has to pass the test... Santa has played an important role in safeguarding Australia's biosecurity and I encourage all Australians to do their part by understanding and complying with quarantine laws this Christmas."
Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/searching-santa/story-e6frgdk6-1225812568787
Cane Toad in Melbourne. Where next?
The discovery of a cane toad in a batch of palm trees at a Melbourne shopping centre has prompted a biosecurity alert.
The Department of Primary Industry (DPI) is asking Victorians to be on the look-out for the pests from northern Australia. The cane toad was found in a pot-plant delivered to a variety store.
The DPI's Brendan Roughead says there is a chance toads have moved to new homes.
"There were approximately 7,000 palm trees in the consignment, of which 2,500 have been sold," he said.
"Certainly people should check, if they've purchased one of these palms, and if they see a suspicious-looking frog, they can report it to the Department."
He said biologically speaking, Victoria is not a "cane toad friendly environment" because it is too cold. People who suspect they have found a cane toad are asked to photograph it and report it to the DPI.
"Many species of native frogs are often wrongly identified as cane toads so we are urging people who suspect they have found a cane toad not to hurt it."
Biosecurity developments and member news
New biosecurity Council
On December 21, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke announced appointments to the newly created Biosecurity Advisory Council.
The establishment of the council is a key recommendation of the Beale Review, and will provide independent advice on Australia ’s biosecurity systems.
Mr Burke said creating the council was an important step in the overall biosecurity reform process. “It will provide me, the future Director of Biosecurity, and the future Australian Biosecurity Standards Commission with strategic and policy advice on biosecurity issues,” Mr Burke said.
“The membership reflects a broad range of expertise in the fields of agriculture, environment, health sciences, risk assessment, business management and operational aspects of biosecurity.”
The council—as recommended by the Beale Review—will replace the Quarantine and Exports Advisory Council (QEAC). Reflecting a move from quarantine to biosecurity, the council will have a broader role in providing advice across the biosecurity continuum.
Victoria’s new biosecurity laws
Victoria’s proposed new plant biosecurity legislation is open for public comment until late February 2010.
If you are interested in knowing what is being proposed in Victoria, or indeed in having your say, the information is on the Victorian DPI website. An explanatory paper has also been posted on the webpage.
WA Survey for Red Imported Fire Ants
The WA Department of Agriculture and Food is conducting a targeted survey in the South West for Red Imported Fire Ants.
The exotic pest has not been found in Western Australia, but an infestation in Queensland has prompted nationwide surveillance.
The department’s biosecurity officers will be searching garden nurseries, caravan parks, ports and high traffic tourist areas for any signs of the aggressive ants.
Biosecurity officer Brian Smith said Red Imported Fire Ants were small golden to reddish brown ants with darker abdomens, varying in size from 2-6mm.
* Further information and photographs are available in Garden note 355/2009 on the Department of Agriculture and Food website www.agric.wa.gov.a u or contact the Pest and Disease Information Service on freecall 1800 084 881.
Farm Biosecurity Weekly Media Snapshot
Local news…
'Solid progress' in Aussie biosecurity upgrades
Australia continues to make solid progress in implementing tougher biosecurity measures after the 2007 equine influenza outbreak, a fresh report reveals.
Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has released the third independent report by Professor Peter Shergold, who is reporting to the government on progress in implementing changes recommended by Ian Callinan, who conducted a Commission of Inquiry into the outbreak. The flu is estimated to have cost Australia up to $A1 billion.
"I am pleased to assure you that there continues to be solid progress," Shergold told the minister in his report.
He said he was pleased that several earlier concerns over "the burden of bureaucratic process" seems to have addressed, particularly in respect of paperwork that needs to be completed by non-quarantine personnel before gaining access to quarantine stations.
"The challenge, of course, is to keep administrative procedures to a minimum while continuing to ensure that the more rigorous horse importation regime ... is being monitored for compliance, reviewed for effectiveness and evaluated for further enhancement."
Burke, in his response to the report, reaffirmed his government's determination to finish implementing the Callinan reforms.
For more: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2009/12/082.shtml
Around the world…
Some horse event biosecurity tips from NZ…
If you regularly go to horse events - even as a spectator - why not have footwear designated only for off-farm equine activities?
This eliminates the chance of carrying something nasty into your paddocks once you get home. For example, who wants to deliver drug-resistant worm eggs to your pasture if you stood in some horse dung at a show?
Try not to share equipment. Shared water buckets, feed containers, brushes and sponges all run the risk of carrying bugs and diseases. Before leaving, clean and disinfect any gear that may have been used on other animals. Brush off any manure before using disinfectant.
If your brushes and other gear haven't made contact with anything other than your horse and your float, it is still a good idea to disinfect. But if they've been put down in a shared tie-up area or you've used a stall at the local showgrounds, disinfection is a must.
For more: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/health/biosecurity-171.shtml
More ‘Rock-snot’ found in USA
Another premier Maryland, USA, trout stream has become tainted by an invasive algae feared worldwide for its ability to coat the bottom of rivers and lakes and smother the habitat and food supply of fish.
Biologists at the Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday that didymo, known by anglers as "rock snot," was found in the Savage River.
"There's nothing we can do short of closing the area down, and that's draconian," said Don Cosden, inland fisheries director. "We're going to try hard to contain it."
Officials fear the algae could spread to the North Branch of the Potomac below the Jennings Randolph Reservoir, another of the state's best trout waters.
Scientists on the West Coast USA detected it a decade ago. An outbreak in New Zealand in 2004 prompted a "biosecurity lockdown," complete with checkpoints and penalties of five years in prison and $100,000 fines for anglers and boaters who failed to clean their gear.
For more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/outdoors/bal-rocksnot1216,0,3615001.story
Upcoming events…
Global Biosecurity 2010
The Australian Biosecurity-CRC, the CRC for Plant Biosecurity and the Invasive Animals CRC, are organising a conference on Global Biosecurity for next year.
The conference will be held at the Brisbane Exhibition Centre from 28 February to 3 March.
For the first time in Australia, Global Biosecurity 2010: safeguarding agriculture and the environment, will provide an opportunity for organisations to come together to explore:
- the drivers behind biosecurity
- understanding risks to address biosecurity issues
- accessing the right information at the right time
- policy, regulation and operation procedures
For more information or go to www.globalbiosecurity2010.com
FMD Symposium 2010
Australia will host an international symposium and workshop on FMD in Melbourne from 12 – 14 April 2010.
The theme of the symposium and workshop is FMD – Integrating Science and Management. It will create an opportunity for Australian policy makers, scientists and epidemiologists from both industry and government to share experiences and research findings related to four key areas: the biology of the FMD virus, advances in diagnostic technology and their application to FMD eradication or control, vaccines and their application and surveillance and monitoring during and outbreak and to establish or re-establish market access.
For more information go to www.FMD2010.com.au
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