CRC for Plant Biosecurity - global biosecurity 2010

Strategies to increase plant biosecurity capacity in Australia

VANMEURSA — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 04:29:49 +0000

Global Biosecurity 2010 wrap up

K.Scott — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:09:03 +0000

Agricultural and environmental biosecurity experts from across the globe gathered in a very wet and windy Brisbane last week for the world’s first biosecurity conference addressing this issue.

The conference kicked off with a Welcome Reception on Sunday night (28 February) sponsored by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. Conference delegates were able to wander around the 14 exhibition booths during the evening to learn more about the various exhibiting organisations and their role in biosecurity. We had a corporate stand to showcase the variety of our research portfolio while our digital diagnostics project team partnered with Dino-Lite microscopes to demonstrate the application of the remote microscope network.

Mr Rick Hawe, Regional Manager for AQIS’s north-east region gave a short address explaining AQIS’s role in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Biosecurity Services Group and how they contribute to the biosecurity system through effective quarantine measures at the border.

CSIRO, Chief Executive, Dr Megan Clark officially opened the conference on Monday morning.

During her address, Dr Clark said the threat of invasion is increasing due to global trade, climate change, people and animals more on the move, agricultural change and increased global poverty.

“Business as usual will not prepare Australia for the future,” she said.

“We need to keep making the point that this challenging issue can be addressed if all sides are willing to engage openly in dialogue, learn from our experiences and work together to prepare Australia and the globe for the future. Now more than ever we need to look at partnerships to address these challenges.”

Promoting international partnerships and collaboration were a key element of the conference with people across the agricultural and environmental sectors sharing and exchanging the latest biosecurity research into drivers, threats and impacts, knowledge and systems.

With many new biosecurity technologies being used in areas such as surveillance and diagnostics, the conference encouraged people to think about how these ideas and research could be applied in an environmental, plant or livestock context.

The conference also included keynote addresses from Western Australia’s Department of Agriculture and Food, Director General, Mr Rob Delane; Dr Gordon Gordh from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); Dr Angus Cameron from AusVet’s Animal Health Services; Chevron Australia’s Mr Johann van Der Merwe; Professor Mick Clout from Auckland University and USDA’s Mr Bob Griffin.

During the conference, Dr Tony Gregson, Chairman of Plant Health Australia launched the National Plant Health Status Report.

The 180 page report provides a wealth of information covering the plant pests of greatest concern to Australian industries, the organisations and processes involved in keeping Australia’s agricultural and forestry industries free from pests, and innovative plant health research projects currently being undertaken by Australian research organisations and universities. It is a consolidated summary of the system that helps protect Australian agricultural and forestry industries, worth more than $45 billion a year, from exotic pests.

“This Report provides policy and decision makers across governments and industries an overview of the sophisticated biosecurity system responsible for protecting Australia’s food supply and product markets. It is a useful reference manual for educators and those providing support and commercial services to the plant industry. It also demonstrates the robustness of Australia’s plant health system and should build confidence in the quality of Australian plant products,” said Dr Tony Gregson.

The National Plant Health Status Report identifies, among other things, details for the 2008-09 financial year including nearly 300 high priority plant pests that are exotic or of significant quarantine concern to Australia. It also highlights over seven hundred biosecurity research and development projects currently underway or completed in Australia, and the 137 surveillance programs targeting plant pests of concern across the country. A copy of the report can be found on PHA’s website.

The conference dinner on Tuesday night was a highlight of the social program
(see separate article). The conference closed on Wednesday afternoon with delegates leaving with new knowledge across the field of biosecurity as well as many new contacts in this area. From all verbal feedback received to date, the conference was an overwhelming success.

Images: (source Di Harris photographic)

CSIRO's Dr Megan Clark officially opens the Global Biosecurity 2010 conference

CRCNPB Chairman, Professor John Lovett with PHA's Chairman, Dr Tony Gregson at the launch of the National Plant Health Status Report

Wild dog disease to blame for cattle miscarry?

VANMEURSA — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:20:48 +0000

Global Biosecurity Media Relese: February 2010

New research linking wild dogs to miscarriage in cattle threatens to widen the impact the pests have on Australian livestock producers.

Known for their attacks on sheep, wild dogs are now under suspicion of transferring reproductive disease, neosporosis, to cattle.

Caused by the microscopic parasite Neospora caninum (N. caninum), neosporosis is estimated to cost the Australian dairy and beef industries, an average of $30 million a year in aborted pregnancies.

“Research has shown that vertical transmission alone, in which the cow transfers the parasite to its foetus, is insufficient to sustain infection in a herd,” University of Sydney PhD candidate Jessica King said.

Overseas research identified domestic dogs as a source of N. caninum infection to cattle during 1998. Dogs are capable of shedding N. caninum oocysts in their faeces following consumption of infected tissue or afterbirth from cattle. These oocysts become infective in the environment and can contaminate feed and water of livestock.

Ms King is working with the Invasive Animals CRC to research whether Australian wild canids (dingoes, dingo/domestic dog hybrids and foxes) are the missing link in the transmission of this disease to cattle. She explains what farmers can do to minimise the spread of neosporosis when she presents her findings at the Global Biosecurity Conference in Brisbane from February 28 to March 3.

Ms King said the symptoms of neosporosis in herds were sporadic.

“Cows or heifers may abort occasionally and in low numbers throughout the herd, or it may occur as an ‘abortion storm’, where up to 33 per cent of the breeding herd may abort within a few months.”

“Adult cows show no clinical signs of illness following infection.”

Recent surveys of N. caninum in cattle revealed that a large proportion of herds with the disease were located close to bushland where wild dogs and foxes are common.

“Our experimental trials identified that Australian dingoes are a definitive host of N. caninum and therefore a risk factor for neosporosis in cattle.”

“However we should not use data to condemn wild dogs, because farm dogs are likely to be as much to blame for the transmission of the disease to cattle.”

“Farm and other domestic dogs have ready access to potentially infectious material when fed offal and through scavenging on dead cattle and afterbirth.”

Ms King collaborates with scientists at the University of Technology Sydney, Charles Sturt University and Industry & Investment NSW. She is supported through a stipend from the Invasive Animals CRC who are joining forces with the Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease and CRC for National Plant Biosecurity to host the world’s first international conference focusing on agricultural and environmental biosecurity.

Global Biosecurity 2010 is sponsored by: Horticulture Australia Limited, the Grains Research and Development Corporation and the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis.

Photo caption: New research linking wild dogs to miscarriage in cattle threatens to widen the impact the pests have on Australian livestock producers.

Photo courtesy of Jessica King, University of Sydney

Registrations for the conference are now open. Visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

Media contact l Laureta Wallace

P (08) 6250 4561
M 0457 589 703

Summit to put spotlight on biosecurity

VANMEURSA — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:44:03 +0000

Global Biosecurity Media Relese: February 2010

In an Australian first, key players from across the biosecurity spectrum will come together under one roof to discuss the increasingly complex battle to protect the economy and environment from exotic pests and disease threats.

Global Biosecurity 2010: safeguarding agriculture and the environment will feature the ‘who’s who’ of the biosecurity world, showcasing the latest research in pre-border, border and post-border biosecurity science.

Key note speakers will include Rob Delane, Director-General of the Department of Agriculture and Food, WA; Bob Griffin, director of plant epidemiology and the risk analysis laboratory within the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Associate Professor Mick Clout in conservation biology at the University of Auckland; and Dr Angus Cameron, AusVet Animal Health Services.

Greg Fraser, Executive Director and CEO of Plant Health Australia, will also be speaking at the conference.

“Australia’s geographic isolation has meant that we have remained free of many of the pests and diseases that have significantly impacted agriculture industries overseas. This is reinforced by a world class biosecurity system that works to mitigate these exotic biosecurity threats and retain the advantages of being pest-free, such as increased production, reduced operational costs and wide market access,” Mr Fraser said.

“The ongoing protection of our rural industries requires a number of partnerships. It requires partnering internationally, working beyond our borders to reduce the risks coming from overseas. It requires governments and industries working in partnership to ensure that systems are in place for prevention and incursion management. It also requires a partnership between governments, industries and producers to implement on-farm biosecurity measures and surveillance.”

The Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference will provide an opportunity to build on this partnership approach, with experts from government, agricultural industries, research institutions and environmental organisations coming together to share knowledge and build networks.

The conference will be hosted by the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity, Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease and the Invasive Animals CRC.

The Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference is sponsored by: Horticulture Australia Limited, the Grains Research and Development Corporation and the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis.

Registrations for the conference are now open. Visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

Media contact l Laureta Wallace

P (08) 6250 4561
M 0457 589 703

Domestic animals: pets or pests?

VANMEURSA — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:30:58 +0000

Global Biosecurity Media Relese: February 2010

Foxes, pigs, cane-toads and rabbits are notorious for the devastation they cause as some of Australia’s most infamous feral animals.

But there is increasing concern over stopping the ‘next wave’ of invasive animals — pets that could become pests.

Professor Tony Peacock, Chief Executive Officer of the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research

Centre (IACRC) said some pets have real potential to negatively impact on biosecurity and threaten Australia’s unique wildlife.

“Almost all feral fish populations established since World War II have come from home aquaria,”

Professor Peacock said.

“Tilapia, considered to be one of the world’s worst 100 pests, were originally brought in as tropical aquarium fish, but have now invaded river and dam systems in Queensland and Western Australia, and are heading south.”

“As tilapia spread they are expected to take a heavy toll on our native wildlife by eating the eggs and young of prawns, barramundi and several other native threatened species such as Murray cod.”

The fish don’t swim here themselves. Professor Peacock says this highlights that people are in the driver’s seat of this problem.

“Don’t release pet fish into the environment. Fish that are released into local waterways can upset the natural balance and impact on native fish species.”

“Once pest animals have arrived and have established populations, we have to resort to control, providing it is feasible, viable and alleviates the negative impact.”

Investigative work is constantly being undertaken to monitor any new threats, and to work with policy and decision-makers to avoid the threats posed by potentially invasive species.

“Prevention is always better than a cure,” said Professor Peacock.

“A smart decision by the government was to ban Savannah cats from import to Australia.”

“Savannah cats are derived from domestic cats and African servals. They would have passed serval genes onto our feral cat population, posing a high risk to our wildlife.”

“The last thing we need is genes for better hunting efficiency and bigger cats getting into our feral cat population.”

“The Savannah cat ban shows we are learning from previous mistakes, such as introducing rabbits and cane-toads. If in doubt, we should keep it out,” he said.

And it seems as though other countries are following suit.

“The US is considering banning giant snakes, many of which have been imported as pets and then released, and are now over-running national park areas such as the Everglades,” said Professor Peacock.

Recognising biosecurity is a global issue, IACRC are joining forces with the Australian Biosecurity CRC for

Emerging Infectious Disease and CRC for National Plant Biosecurity to host the world’s first international conference focusing on agricultural and environmental biosecurity. The conference will take place in Brisbane from February 28 to March 3 2010 and will discuss a myriad of biosecurity topics across these sectors.

The Global Biosecurity 2010 is sponsored by: Horticulture Australia Limited, Grains Research and

Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis (ACERA).

Registrations for the conference are now open. Visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

Media contact l Laureta Wallace

P (08) 6250 4561
M 0457 589 703

New tools on the horizon for exotic disease control in feral pigs

VANMEURSA — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:47:08 +0000

Global Biosecurity Media Relese: 27 January 2010

Australia has long been concerned about the threats posed by feral pigs, the destruction they cause to the environment and the cost to the agricultural industry.

They are also a serious disease risk.

Leader of the Uptake Products and Strategies program with the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (IA CRC), Dr Steven Lapidge says feral pigs carry about 20 different exotic diseases, which could have crippling consequences for human and animal health.

“They are highly mobile and can recover quickly from reductions in population size, either by immigration or reproduction, making them ideal transporters of exotic diseases,” Dr Lapidge said.

“It is estimated there are between 4–23 million feral pigs in Australia at any one time, depending on environmental variables such as drought, so it is important Australia is equipped to manage any potential for disease outbreak.”

During the past two decades, researchers have continued to refine their predictions of the likely rate of spread of disease through the feral pig population, to enhance Australia’s disease preparedness.

However, Dr Lapidge says new ideas and techniques to predict and manage potential disease spread in feral pigs are always needed.

“We are using a different approach from past studies — one based on forensic techniques involving mapping genetic relatedness,” Dr Lapidge said.

“This allows us to analyse and provide estimates on the minimum movement of feral pigs, particularly large dominant boars, from which transmission rates of exotic disease can be estimated and appropriate management units for feral pigs in Australian rangelands developed.”

“It is all about trying to understand where disease may spread and where it may naturally stop.”

“More recently, rapidly-deployable control tools to limit disease spread have also been developed and registered, and faster-acting toxicants are in development that can be used for disease surveillance.”

Dr Lapidge says more proactive tools to minimise exotic disease threats are also in the pipeline; a hot topic at the upcoming Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference in Brisbane.

“For example, prophylactic vaccination baits, which could be distributed in potential disease hotspots, are an option to create a buffer-zone and take a more proactive approach.”

Dr Lapidge will be one of many biosecurity experts presenting at the first international Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference to be held in Brisbane in February this year.

The conference will bring together a host of biosecurity experts to discuss best practice and how Australia can maintain effective biosecurity measures, which are vital to keeping our agricultural industries and the environment healthy.

The conference is a partnership event between the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity, Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease and the Invasive Animals CRC.

The Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference is sponsored by: the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC); the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis (ACERA); Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS).

Registrations for the conference are now open. Visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

Media contact l Laureta Wallace

P (08) 6250 4561
M 0457 589 703