As part of a new national biosecurity plan, a range of targeted activities and investments aim to safeguard the $32 billion grains industry and protect growers’ businesses from exotic pest threats.

Industry leaders welcomed the launch at the Australian Grains Industry Conference in Melbourne in July. The Australian Grains Industry Biosecurity Plan was developed in collaboration with industry leaders and biosecurity experts, and identifies more than 1300 plant pests and disease threats. It is built on the principles of shared ownership and responsibility.

The plan’s development was led by Plant Health Australia (PHA), the coordinator of the Australian plant biosecurity system, with support from Grain Producers Australia (GPA), GRDC and Grain Growers Ltd.

It includes a series of threat summary tables that identify exotic pests known to affect grain crops overseas and assesses their risk to the local industry based on four criteria: entry, establishment, spread potential and economic impact.

It also details current mitigation and surveillance activities being undertaken and identifies contingency plans, fact sheets and diagnostic protocols.

The plan identifies 50 activities that will strengthen biosecurity efforts. These include:

• a national grains biosecurity advisory committee comprising all major grain biosecurity stakeholders to coordinate investment;
• the Grains Farm Biosecurity Program;
• increasing education, training and simulations to prepare the industry for an incursion;
• investment in management options (genetic, chemical, and cultural) for established and exotic biotic threats; and
• improved diagnostics to enable improved surveillance to enhance early detection exotic biotic threats.

GPA chair and Western Australian grain grower Barry Large says the plan’s launch is the start of a longer journey to increase biosecurity capacity and capability. “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,” Mr Large says.

PHA’s national manager, preparedness and RD&E, Stuart Kearns, says the new plan provides a practical guide. “This will ensure both industry and government are able to make informed decisions about the growing biosecurity threat in Australia,” Mr Kearns says.

“The plan includes current initiatives and highlights areas requiring further work and will be consistently updated to assess progress.”

GRDC managing director Nigel Hart also highlighted the critical importance of cross-industry collaborations needed for effective biosecurity. “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,” he says.

More information : Biosecurity Plan for the Australian Grains Industry 2023-2028.