This project improved the preparedness of Australia's grain industry for incursions of Emergency Plant Pests (EPPs) by developing a national surveillance plan to support market access and provide contingency plans for threats to Australia's grains industry.

Research outcomes:

• Twenty two contingency plans for key high and medium priority pest threats to the Australian grains industry were prepared. These plans provide information on pest life cycles, potential distribution, survival strategies and methods for surveillance and sampling to assist with biosecurity preparedness.
• Audit of grain pest specific reference material held electronically by PHA was undertaken.
• Biosecurity awareness information was provided to researchers, growers, grains bulk handlers and agribusiness in the form of media articles and seminars.
• Development of surveillance plans for Russian wheat aphid, Hessian fly and Sunn pest to assist capture of data for both early detection of new pests and market access requirements.

Research implications:

The development or update of contingency plans for key pest threats and surveillance plans for Russian wheat aphid, Hessian fly and Sunn pest, together with the delivery of biosecurity messages, form an important part of biosecurity preparedness and prevention activities for the grains industry.

The development of contingency plans will provide information that will form the basis of response plans to pest incursions. The provision of information within the contingency plans will assist with more rapid eradication, containment or management mechanisms being put in place, helping both deliverers and beneficiaries of the emergency response.

Provision of awareness training and information is an important part of industry preparedness, assisting to increase the understanding of the importance of biosecurity and the response mechanisms Australia puts in place in the event of an incursion.

The surveillance plans for Russian wheat aphid, Hessian fly and Sunn pest provides a framework for a coordinated national approach to collection and capture of data for both early detection of new pests and market access requirements.

The surveillance plans assessed the probability of detection of each of these pests using routine crop monitoring. This framework has implications for all stakeholders in the grains supply chain that will be impacted by pests of market access concern or potential pest incursions.

Acknowledgements:

PHA wishes to acknowledge the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity (CRCNPB) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) for supporting this project.

PHA also acknowledges all experts who contributed to completion of contingency plans.

Outcome

Response: Reduced losses from incursions by harmful pests and diseases.

Goal

Reduced economic and social impact from incursions of harmful pests and diseases through new control, risk mitigation and recovery strategies.

Indicators of success

Economic:

Decreased economic and social cost for future pest and disease eradications and scientific defensibility of market access conditions.

Science:

New tools to optimise incursion responses accepted by peers through scientific publication and invitations to present at key meetings, conferences and workshops.

Policy:  

New tools to manage plant biosecurity threats are integrated into response strategies through consultation with end-users.

Impact/Adoption: 

New procedures for the eradication of plant biosecurity threats are used by end-users.