Plant Protection News

Plant Protection News is a free periodical email newsletter published by the Office of the Chief Plant Protection Officer. The newsletter features news items on Australia’s national emergency response and preparedness activities (such as for diagnostics, surveillance and community biosecurity awareness) for economically significant plant pests, diseases and weeds. It also features news items on international plant protection standard setting and regional capacity building. The newsletter is available online or by email.

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2012

• January 2012
  In this issue:
• • Eleven national diagnostic protocols endorsed
  • Emergence of a national plant diagnostic network
  • Onshore plant pest surveillance program continues
  • Draft international plant standards to be considered for adoption
  • Newly formatted international plant standards published
  • Recent international plant pest reports
  • Potential new pest threat identified from a new trade route

2011

• October 2011
  In this issue:
  • Handbook to assist with accurate identification of fruit flies
  • Training to enhance Australia’s expertise in identifying termites
  • Contingency plans boost Australia’s preparedness for three exotic plant pests
  • Cocoa pod borer national eradication program supported
  • Rice blast incursion deemed not eradicable
  • Australia assists development of Pacific biosecurity capacity building plan
  • Standards to be developed to help protect region, and Australia, from pests
  • Recent international pest reports
• July 2011
  Contents:
  • National Plant Biosecurity Status Report 2010 released
  • National Plant Biosecurity Strategy launched
  • National diagnostic network to be established
  • Developing a contingency plan for vegetable leaf miner: workshop
  • Remote Diagnostic Microscope a boost for Papua New Guinea…and Australia
  • Draft international plant standards released for member consultation June 2011
• May 2011
  Contents:
  • Plant Biosecurity Sensitive Data Service to manage data sharing concerns
  • Advanced diagnostics training in smuts and thrips
  • Workshops: engaging the community in plant biosecurity futures
  • Newly adopted International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures
  • Joint plant health surveys in Papua New Guinea
• January 2011
  Contents:
  • Draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures released for comment
  • Update to response to Myrtle rust

2010

• December 2010
  Contents:
  • Diagnostic Training Scholarships awarded
  • Survey for emerging pest threats in Bouganville
  • Chestnut blight eradication program supported
  • Collaborative research in plant biosecurity publication released
  • Recent official pest reports to the IPPC
  

• November 2010
  Contents:
  • Post-graduate degrees in plant biosecurity: enrolments open
  • Fruit Fly and the Home Garden website launched
  • Remote diagnostics workshop: call for registrations
  • Workshops: building reference collections in Indonesia
  • Update on response to Myrtle rust
  • Recent official pest reports to the IPPC
  • Biosecurity Bulletin – August-September 2010 issue released
  
  
• June 2010
  Content:
  • Draft National Plant Health Strategy: call for comments
  • Development of a PDA to support surveillance
  • Plant health surveys in the Solomon Islands
  • IPPC draft standards: call for comments
  • Plant Protection Agreement for the Aisa and Pacific region
  • Recent official pest reports to the IPPC
  
  
• April 2010
  Contents:
  • National Plant Health Status Report released
  • Biosecurity engagement guidelines released
  • Towards a national fruit fly trapping dataset
  • New national diagnostic protocols released
  • Accreditation standard for plant health diagnostic laboratories
  • Arthropod Collections in the Philippines published
  • AQIS Bulletin released
  • Official pest reports to the IPPC
  • Newly adopted International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures

2009

• August 2009
  Contents:
  • Applications invited for 2009-10 Diagnostic Training Scholarships
  • New and updated SPHDS reference standards
  
  
• June 2009
  Contents:
  • National Plant Health Status Report launched
  • BioSIRT newsletter released
  • Call for plant diagnosticians to become SPHDS members
  • Call for abstracts: Global Biosecurity 2010 conference
  • Call for topics: new or revised International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures
  • Newly adopted International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures
  • Draft IPPC standards released for member consultation
  • Recent pest incursion reports notified to the IPPC by Australia
  • Exotic fruit fly contingency plan exercised
  
  
• April 2009
  Contents:
  • Gypsy moth response plan developed
  • Huanglongbing contingency plan put to the test at workshop
  • Innovative methods of capturing data: focus of workshop
  • Biosecurity Engagement Practioners Network: call for participants
  • Plant Biosecurity Toolbox now available
  • Progress on assessing national diagnostic protocols
  
  
• February 2009
  Contents:
  • Eradication of citrus canker from Australia
  • New and revised International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures
  • Draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures released for comment
  • Methyl bromide brochure

To obtain issues of Plant Protection News prior to 2009, please contact the Office of the Chief Plant Protection Officer.