Biosecurity response needs a national commitment

IN the years after the citrus canker debacle at Emerald in 2005, we were told that the finalisation of both animal and plant disease response deeds between State and Federal governments would help us deal with the many potential biosecurity incursions that farmers might face.
These deeds form the cornerstone to a national effort on biosecurity issues and without them we are left in a situation of having one State acting alone to combat a problem that ignores State borders.
Since then, these responses have been put to the test a number of times in Queensland and the effort displayed on a national scale has been largely uninspiring.
There are a worrying number of incursions of pests and weeds in Queensland that could impact other parts of the country, but there appears to be a reticence from the Federal and other State governments to co-fund some control programs.
Unfortunately, at times and for some governments, unless the problem is right in their backyard, they are reluctant to help fund the eradication effort.
In some cases, admittedly, the problem is so daunting that control may seem impossible.
In other cases, control and eradication is possible, but would come at a considerable cost.
We know that Queensland sits on the front line of pest and disease incursion risks in Australia.
We therefore often face the roadblock of convincing southern States that simply because they don’t have a specific pest incursion, and although Queensland is a long way from them, they still need to invest in controlling these incursions.
The most immediate example came last month with an announcement from the National Management Group (NMG) that it was “no longer technically feasible to eradicate Asian honeybees”.
A Federal Inquiry began last week to find out whether this decision was based on the best science – especially since those in the industry were adamant that the control program was indeed succeeding.
The conclusions of this inquiry will be a real acid test for the entire national response, and whether farmers can have faith in the process.
Sugarcane smut is another example of a failure of a NMG to fund an eradication effort. And with fire ants, the national response is ongoing and appears to be succeeding thanks to the valiant efforts of Biosecurity Queensland, although it still requires some convincing for other governments to continue to support the program.
At the moment, we are dealing with another major pest incursion, which has slipped under the radar this year given the multitude of other major events that have grabbed the media attention.
Myrtle Rust was first detected in NSW in April 2010, and subsequently in Queensland on December 27. It infects plants including eucalyptus, bottlebrush and melaleuca, and many of the dominant species in most Australian forests.
It creates yellow spores on young leaves, shoots, and flowers and may eventually lead to plant death in some species. Myrtle Rust thrives in moderate temperatures and high humidity, which makes it comfortable in large areas of this State.
This plant disease is a major concern specifically for QFF member organisation, Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland, which has established the Myrtle Rust Management Plan 2011.
The NMG has deemed that it is not technically feasible to eradicate the rust. This means that the response turns to limiting the impact, managing its spread, and educating the public.
This position will be devastating news for industry.
This incursion is another reminder that we must continue to uphold our quarantine standards and that we can’t take our pest- and disease-free status for granted.
More than ever, we need a national response that is dedicated to eradicating quarantine breaches so we can be confident that the system can deal with biosecurity incursions in the future.