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AQIS Bulletin - November/December 2009

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Image of the front cover of the AQIS Bulletin June-July 2009 edition

 

Kubota Tractor Australia wins national biosecurity award

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke presented the 2009 Australian Biosecurity Award to Melbourne-based Kubota Tractor Australia at a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra.

Accepting the award from the minister, Mr Greg Vincent from Kubota Tractor said the company values its cooperative relationship with AQIS.

'We view AQIS as a partner in working towards our common goal to keep Australia disease free,' said Mr Vincent.
Kubota won this year's award from more than 45 nominations after blue stain fungi, which can kill trees, was found on wooden pallets carrying parts and machinery.

The company conducted a full inventory of its packaging material and helped trace other shipments that had gone directly to clients.

Since the fungi was found, Kubota Tractor has amended its international packaging and shipping procedures to minimise the risk of this and other pests entering Australia on pallets.

Changes at the helm

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) farewelled Rob Delane in October and welcomed Craig Burns to the position of Deputy Secrectary of the Biosecurity Services Group (BSG) until it is permanently filled.

Rob joined the department in 2008 and oversaw the reform of biosecurity services, including the establishment of the Biosecurity Services Group and the creation of a national service delivery model that includes new regional boundaries.

Rob has returned to Western Australia to become the Director General of the Department of Agriculture and Food.
Craig Burns comes to the BSG from the Trade and Market Access division of DAFF where he was Executive Manager.

New MoU to reduce border mail risk

A new agreement between AQIS, Australia Post and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service will help reduce security risks from incoming international mail.

The three agencies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve cooperation and clarify each party's roles and responsibilities at Australia Post's gateway facilities.

Incoming international mail is assessed at the gateways using tools such as detector dogs, X-ray or physical inspection.
The MoU was signed by Tim Chapman, Executive Manager of  Biosecurity Services Group Quarantine Operations (on behalf of AQIS's Executive Director), Michael Carmody, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and Graham John, Managing Director of Australia Post.

Judith Welsh, Australia Post's Manager International Products, Performance and Optimisation, said the MoU provided an improved framework for cooperation now and in the future. This was vital because of the volume of mail handled.

'Australia Post handles nearly 250 000 inbound and outbound items a day at its international gateways. This is about 10 times the number of baggage items that cross the border daily through airports,' said Ms Welsh.

Caroline Martin, AQIS National Program Manager of Mail and Detector Dogs, thanked staff who provided feedback during the negotiations and said the task of protecting Australia's border at gateway facilities should not be underestimated.

'The new agreement is more strategic and gives all parties more flexibility to improve their processes through cooperation,' she said. 'In this way we will work together to minimise threats and help protect the Australian community.'

Aquatic stars cleared to come Down Under

Two marine species new to Australian aquariums are on their way to Underwater World on Queensland's Sunshine Coast with the help of staff from the Biosecurity Services Group (BSG).

The popular visitor attraction applied in October to import two giant Pacific octopi and 10 nautilus to add to its public aquarium for the summer school holidays.

BSG worked quickly to develop import conditions for both species and they are expected to arrive from Japan by air in mid-November. An AQIS fish inspector will scrutinise the arrivals to make sure all import conditions have been met and the aquatic animals will then spend 30 days in post-arrival quarantine at Underwater World, isolated from all other animals. The octopi and nautilus will then be displayed in the public aquarium where they will remain under quarantine control for the rest of their lives.
While they are both classed as cephalopods, the creatures are very different.

The two octopi now weigh about 10 kilograms each, but as members of the largest species of their kind they will grow much bigger—the record is 182 kilograms, with an arm span of 7.6 metres. They are masters of camouflage, quickly changing the colour and texture of their skin to match the background.

The much smaller, delicate nautilus is 12-14 centimetres in diameter, and fossil records show the species has remained virtually unchanged for the past 500 million years. As it grows, the nautilus moves forward in its shell and seals the chamber (camera) behind it.  A nautilus has about seven camerae when it hatches and more than 30 when mature.

Regional award winners

The Australian Biosecurity Award regional winners were presented with their certificates in ceremonies held around the country in November.

South east region - Kubota Tractor Australia.

Northern region - Adrienne Vearing and Scott Kay, MV Trinity Bay. Adrienne and Scott promote the importance of quarantine each day to passengers on their vessel travelling between Cairns and the Torres Strait. Their actions reduce the amount of risk material carried and assist in all risk items being presented to AQIS officers for inspection.

South west region - Yvonne Brown. After returning from a trip to Indonesia with a group of travellers, Yvonne spotted a toad in the luggage of one of her companions. Her call to AQIS allowed officers to collect the toad and euthanize it, eliminating the risk to Australia’s native flora and fauna.

Central east region - David Murray, Asia Customs Service. Over the past year David has alerted AQIS officers to a range of quarantine issues including non-compliance with Australia’s regulations for the importation of food. David is a regular advocate for the importance of biosecurity and exemplifies the collaborative approach required to safeguard our biosecurity integrity.

North east region - Master Gunnery Sergeant Gary Teicher of the United States Marine Corps. MGySgt. Teicher was appointed to the role of US-AQIS Liaison Officer for Exercise Talisman Sabre 09. He provided a level of support to AQIS and US forces that significantly contributed to the military’s ability to adhere to Australia’s strict biosecurity requirements during a logistically complex exercise.

Dead bees harbour rare hitchhiker

Dead carpenter bees detected in a shipping container during a routine tailgate inspection of Indian stone products at Outer Harbor in South Australia seemed to be just that: dead, departed, lifeless bees—but closer inspection revealed a healthy and very lively hitchhiker.

To make a formal identification and check for potential parasites on the dead bees, Adelaide AQIS officer Nathan Luke was positioning one of the lifeless specimens under a remote diagnostic microscope, for Perth-based AQIS entomologist Chris Norwood, when the bee began to move.

Nathan and Chris were quite surprised to see the bee's abdomen begin to twitch, but it wasn't the bee miraculously coming back to life—rather it was the larvae of another creature emerging from the bee that was the cause for concern. 'It was quite a shock—a mini scene from the movie Alien,' said Nathan.

Initially suspected of being a Khapra beetle larvae (exotic to Australia and probably the most feared stored grain pest in the world), the specimen was placed in a vial of vinegar and sent to the Perth office where the difficult task of formal identification could begin. The specimen proved to be a rare species and was referred to a specialist from the Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Food for positive identification.

Back in Adelaide, and pending formal identification, the shipping container and its cargo were fumigated and re-inspected. No further insect evidence was uncovered and the shipping container was cleaned with all residues removed for destruction.
Formal identification confirmed the larvae to be species Reesa vespulae (Milliron, 1939)—a species so rare it doesn't have a common name. The Australian Faunal Directory lists the beetle as present in the ACT and Murray Darling basin but not found anywhere else in Australia.

Port Kembla office opens its doors

AQIS officers servicing Port Kembla have been eagerly observing the construction of their new office for the past year. And we're not surprised. Their new building boasts one of the best views in Australia—a panoramic vista of the port and the wide blue Tasman Sea.

In September, AQIS, NSW Maritime, NSW Water Police and the Port Kembla Port Corporation moved into their new architecturally-designed office nestled between the port's eastern breakwater and the historic breakwater battery.
Port Kembla team supervisor Mal Stannard claims the new office offers great work efficiencies.

'We used to have to check the vessel schedules before leaving the office for an inspection. Now we can see the vessels as they make their way into the port and be at the berth within a matter of minutes,' said Mal.

The opening of the new building was celebrated on Saturday, 24 October with a community fair attended by 3000 Illawarra locals and official guests including the NSW Premier, Nathan Rees; NSW Minister for Ports and Waterways, Joe Tripodi; Minister for Transport and Minister for the Illawarra, David Campbell; Member for Wollongong, Noreen Hay; Member for Kiama, Matt Brown; and Member for Throsby, Jennie George.

The fair celebrated the maritime heritage of the site and the new building's occupants. AQIS put together a fantastic display of entomology specimens, seized items and activities to entertain and educate their visitors. Most of the Port Kembla team worked at the display and were proud to see the community celebrate the new addition to the port landscape.

Australia’s fruitful talks with Japan

Recent bilateral discussions in Tokyo demonstrated an eagerness to further strengthen the trading relationship between Australia and Japan.

During the talks in October, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed its intention to move to a monitoring system for vapour heat-treated mangoes from Australia. This move will streamline the export process and reduce costs for mango exporters.

If the monitoring system proves effective, Japan will also consider an audit system, similar to the one currently used for citrus exports to the country, further improving efficiencies and reducing costs for exporters.

Also high on the agenda was consideration for the introduction of an electronic certification scheme. Japan is supportive of the idea, appreciating the mutual benefits for Japanese and Australian industries, and is interested in working with Australia to identify an appropriate system.

Accompanying the Biosecurity Services Group team to Japan were horticulture industry representatives Kevin Cock (citrus), Jeff Scott and John Argiro (table grapes), Peter Delis (mangoes) and Mano Babiolakis (grapefruit).

Queensland honours AQIS herpetologist

Twenty years in the biosecurity business is an accomplishment in itself for AQIS officer Neil Charles, but it is his expertise as a herpetologist with a lifetime of snake bites that is leaving a mark. 

Neil has been handpicked to appear in a book celebrating the achievements of Queenslanders as part of the states' Q150 celebrations commemorating 150 years of independence from NSW.

The glossy 540 page book is entitled Queenslander's All Over and tells the stories of individuals from all walks of life who the author describes as the different threads in the tapestry of Queensland.

Neil is one of four people selected to represent the medical science field for his work in snake venom and medicine research which gained momentum when Neil trialled a technique for a snake bite that deviated from the normal practice at the time of applying a tourniquet.

In 1980, Neil attended a reptile conference at Melbourne Zoo where the then head of the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, Professor Struan Sutherland, outlined new techniques to deal with snake bites. 

Just months later, the reptile researcher and reptile keeper had the opportunity to test the technique after being bitten while handling an Australian brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) whose venom can kill humans quickly if left untreated.

Instead of a tourniquet, Neil applied a broad, even-pressure bandage to the bitten area and immobilised the limb, getting himself to hospital quickly where his colleagues and medical professionals could monitor and administer an anti-venom.

The theory was that the broad, even pressure would prevent tissue damage and contain the spread of venom to the lymphatic system, with the immobilised limb restricting movement which would otherwise have pumped venom through the body when the muscles contracted. 

The technique gave doctors time to assess the bite, administer the appropriate anti-venom and allowed a faster recovery time.   
The results of Neil's successful trial were published in the 'Medical Journal of Australia' and the technique is now practised throughout the world.

Neil and his colleagues have since published two dozen papers in numerous science journals over the past two decades. His published work has appeared in journals such as Toxicon, Herpetological Review and the Australasian Medical Journal and includes:

  • Ecology of the Australian Elapid Snake Tropidechis carinatus (the rough - scaled snake)
  • Quantity of Venom Injected by Elapid Snakes
  • The Use of Experimental Models to Study the Biting Habits of Australian Snakes in Both 'Defensive' and 'Hunting' Bites

It was a fascination with reptiles at a young age, coupled with weekends spent with Bob Irwin (father of the late Steve Irwin) and David Fleay, a wildlife park owner and author, that stimulated Neil's passion and confirmed his interest in wildlife and reptiles.

Seafarers to retain Aussie foods in Australian waters

The Australian Navy, Customs and yachties will no longer have many of their food stores treated as quarantine waste by AQIS when returning to Australian waters.

The import conditions for non-commercial foods of Australian origin returning to Australia on board vessels have been revised. An import permit is not required for correctly labelled foods that comply with specific conditions. However, foods such as whole seeds, fresh fruit and vegetables cannot be re-imported.

The revisions came into effect in October 2009.

Full details are available on www.aqis.gov.au/icon

Success for giant snail e-system pilot

AQIS, Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the cargo industry are trialling a new electronic application for holding and releasing shipping containers and break bulk cargo from countries where giant African snails (GAS) are found.

The new electronic system, S-Cargo, will replace the old manual paper-based hold and release system and will enable the status of cargo to be viewed and updated with the click of a button.

The Container National Coordination Centre (formerly the GAS NCC) initiated the trials of S-Cargo following the change from the Customs-controlled Sea Cargo Automation program to the Integrated Cargo System (ICS) in 2005. At the time, cargo and containers moving off Australian wharves were delayed because the GAS holds in the ICS didnít function properly.

To overcome this, the AQIS Industry Cargo Consultative Committee (AICCC) and AQIS agreed to turn off the GAS profiles in the ICS and adopt a manual system until a workable electronic system could be engineered. 

AQIS officer, Kim Catley, has been part of the project since day one.

'We've had to do a lot of fine tuning, which is what the trial phases are about—ironing out issues and then testing them in a live environment to make sure they work,' said Kim.

'The successful phase 1 trial tested key areas of concern—namely amending the ICS to ensure GAS holds could be applied and then acquitted after inspection.

'Phase 2 involved testing specific logistical aspects of the system, using more than 2000 containers and break bulk cargo in Brisbane.

'This trial showed us that we needed to create an AQIS application to interface with the ICS and we also needed to be able to notify container terminal operator third party systems.

'Once these are in place, we can begin phase 3'.

AQIS project manager Nicole Horner says the project has been a great exercise in cooperation between government and industry.

'Over the lifetime of this project we've worked closely with the AICCC, AQIS sea cargo and electronic systems programs, Customs, shipping lines, stevedores, cargo terminal operators, brokers, freight forwarders and regional AQIS management and staff,' said Nicole.

'Industry has been very supportive and we expect to start phase 3 in early 2010. Depending on the outcome of the trial, we aim to implement electronic ICS GAS holds nationally as soon as we finish the trail.'

Export reforms back on track

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke announced an agreement with Opposition and Greens senators to facilitate Senate passage of a $127.4 million industry reform program in November.

Working closely with the Opposition and the Greens, the Rudd Government has reached an agreement which will enable the Senate to reverse its previous decision from September to block new export certification fees and charges to return industry to full cost recovery. This decision will enable these significant reforms to proceed.

'This is the largest reform in a generation and has the overwhelming support of the red meat, dairy, grain, fish, horticulture and live export industry sectors,' said Mr Burke.

'Industry and government have worked together to ensure Australia remains a world leader in export certification systems.
'This program will cut red tape by updating IT systems helping to improve market access.

'This is an industry worth $30 billion annually to the economy and far too important to let political rivalries stand in the way of the reforms. I commend the Member for Calare, John Cobb and the Australian Greens for their determination in seeing the process through,' said Mr Burke.

The reform program funds improvements to make export certification processes more effective and efficient, helping us respond to ever-increasing scrutiny from our export markets.

'In recent years, lack of progress in improving the regulatory system has impacted on market access for Australian producers to highly lucrative countries such as Russia and China,' said Mr Burke.

The reforms will support the removal of substantial costs from the export supply chain for industry and AQIS as well as progressing potential improvement in international market access across all commodities through intensive market access negotiations.

Specific initiatives include new regulatory arrangements with a focus on company audits rather than item-by-item inspection; off-site audits carried out remotely by electronically accessing a company's data; increasing use of electronic processing rather than paperwork; and clearing grains for export much earlier.

'This program is forecast to reduce regulatory costs to industry by $30 million a year from mid-2011 and those savings will be passed on to industry through reduced fees and charges,' said Mr Burke.

Today's agreement stems the losses and allows industry to regain its strong momentum towards reform.

Exporting Errol

Like his famous namesake Errol Flynn, Errol the crocodile is tough, handsome and adventurous and now, following tradition, Errol has flown Australia's shores to live and work in the United States. But this time Errol had to be certified healthy by AQIS before he could take to the skies.

'All animals exported from Australia, whether domestic, farmed or wild are certified by AQIS to the standards required by the importing country,' said AQIS veterinarian Dr Michele Byers.

Errol is believed to be 50 years old and has lived for the past 28 years at the Darwin Crocodile Farm.

To facilitate Errol's export to the US, Michele examined him for external parasites and any evidence of ill-health such as blotchy scales, low weight, wounds or missing toes.

Errol was sedated, then given a thorough bath by a team of keepers using scrubbing brushes. Michele was able to get a good look at him and certify him as healthy.

Errol was then roped securely onto a board and winched into a specially designed crate on the back of a truck where Michele verified he was securely packed and padded to avoid transport injuries. 

Weighing in at around 650 kilograms, Errol certainly needed the security of the plywood crate with its welded steel frame, 25 x 25 millimetres steel reinforced bars and steel feet. Fortunately he required no food or water during the journey.

Errol travelled on regular passenger flights to Los Angeles. It wasn't till he touched down on US soil that Errol was consigned to a cargo flight from Los Angeles to Texas where the Fort Worth Zoo was waiting to settle this huge specimen of Crocodylus porosus into his new home.

Errol was accompanied by staff from Big Gecko (crocodilian research and consulting) who monitored his progress. Big Gecko's Dr Adam Britton said, 'The transport was very successful. In fact Errol arrived in better condition than we did.'
At 4.7 metres long, Errol is believed to be the largest salt-water crocodile ever transported overseas from Australia.

The fast, the slow and the numerous—AQIS finds them all

Mexican jumping beans, blind rats and a giant African snail might sound like the introduction to a fictitious children's story but these creatures were in fact seizures made by AQIS in Adelaide during a single day.

The first chapter in this unusual trifecta of seizures was at Adelaide airport where a family returning from holidays in the United States presented officers with several packets of Mexican jumping beans, complete with a race course and gambling instructions.
The beans are prohibited in Australia because they contain the moth larvae Laspeyresia saltitans that feed on pulp inside each bean and cause the spectacular jumping motion. 

On the next flight, AQIS officer Matthew Fragnito saw the unmistakable shape of a shell on a X-ray machine image—inspection of the passenger's bag revealed a 15 centimetre live giant African snail. The passenger, who spoke limited English, found the oversized gastropod while holidaying in Malaysia and carried it to Australia with the intention of giving it to her relatives.  If introduced to Australia, giant African snails have the potential to reproduce very quickly—each snail can lay up to 1000 eggs—and would cause havoc to our native plants and farming industries.

Later that day, AQIS officers working at the External Container Inspection Regime removed eight baby rats from the twist lock of a shipping container that had arrived in Port Adelaide via Singapore. The colony of dead rats were tightly bundled into their makeshift nest and looked to be only days old—it's more than likely they had been born only hours before the container was lifted onto a cargo vessel and trapped by the surrounding containers. The rats were removed and the container sanitised before leaving the checkpoint.

These out-of-the-ordinary detections have left local officers wondering what they might uncover next week.

Industry vigilance protects Aussie plants

The swift action of alert forklift drivers in suburban Melbourne stopped two significant beetle pests entering the country recently.
A Norman Carriers forklift driver spotted and caught the first pest, a Japanese pine sawyer beetle (Monochamus alternatus), found creeping around a recently opened consignment at the front of a shipping container. After sealing the container, the driver alerted AQIS and fumigated the storage area.

The next week, a second beetle was intercepted—this time one that featured in the Australia's Most Unwanted campaign! A different Norman Carriers forklift driver caught the large beetle wandering among some imported tiles on wooden crates. The container was sealed and a call to AQIS led to the beetle being identified as the devastating Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis). This container was also fumigated.

The Asian longhorned beetle is native to southern China, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. It has also become established in some parts of the United States, Canada and Austria. It is a wood-boring pest that usually targets hardwood trees such as elm, willow, poplar, maple and a variety of fruit trees. An outbreak of the Asian longhorned beetle has the potential to devastate Australia's apple and pear plantations and destroy forests, native bush and even timber frames of houses.

The pine sawyer beetle infests pine trees and often carries with it a nasty hitchhiker. While the beetle itself can damage trees, the passenger called pine wilt nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) can slip quietly from the beetles' breathing tubes and infect and kill the tree. There are more than 1 million hectares of softwood plantations in Australia and the potential for significant economic and agricultural damage is immense.

These interceptions by Norman Carriers were vital in helping protect Australia.

Ghost yacht—a biofouling nightmare

More then 12 months after she was abandoned at sea, the seven metre yacht, the Air Apparent, finally came to rest at a marina in Bowen, Queensland leaving AQIS officers with a biofouling clean-up.

The hardy sailboat travelled more than 2000 nautical miles, drifting across the Pacific Ocean after its captain and inexperienced crew abandoned the yacht in rising seas and were air lifted by helicopter off New Zealand's north-east coast on 25 March, 2008.
The sailboat and its mutiny made headlines within the New Zealand yachting community but it was the amount of biofouling that was the breaking news for AQIS officers.

The yacht was heavily fouled with an estimated 20 kilograms of seaweed, gooseneck barnacles and crustaceans.
Biofouling is a term used by the maritime industry to describe when marine organisms attach and grow on objects such as hulls, anchors, cables, fenders—in fact just about anything that comes into regular contact with the sea.

Biofouling is recognised worldwide as a pathway for the introduction and spread of exotic marine pests and diseases.
Yacht owners are advised to regularly reapply an effective anti-fouling coating to their vessels and to clean hulls and equipment that have been in contact with seawater at their last port of call, prior to arriving in Australia.

The Air Apparent's solo drifting voyage meant neither had happened.

Local fisherman spotted the sailboat off the coast south of Townsville and towed it into the marina, then contacted the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service who in turn advised AQIS. 

Under AQIS supervision, the yacht was taken to a haul-out facility and placed onto a hardstand were it was cleaned from top to bottom—including water intake systems—with a high pressure water cleaning system.

All material removed from the yacht was treated and disposed of to ensure biosecurity integrity and the yacht remained on the hardstand for a further 48 hours before being released by AQIS officers.

New guide to cleaning fowl water

TA new manual for poultry owners has been released by the Biosecurity Services Group.

The National Water Biosecurity Manual for Poultry Production aims to help poultry producers minimise water-borne biosecurity risks, such as avian influenza. It provides specific guidance for poultry producers on how to effectively sanitise surface water used for drinking and cooling on poultry farms.

The manual complements the recently released National Farm Biosecurity Manual for Poultry Production .

Both manuals are available online at www.daff.gov.au/birds or in hard copy from the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer within the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Bees a dead giveaway from 1000 km

Within minutes, dead bees collected in Townsville were identified in Brisbane—1300 kilometres away—as exotic Asian honey bees. The dead bees were detected by AQIS officer Geoff Lui and quickly confirmed as the unwanted pest using remote diagnostic technology.

Geoff was conducting routine surveillance on a break bulk consignment at the Patricks terminal at the Port of Townsville when he detected the pool of dead bees at the base of drilling rig equipment.

'There seemed to be hundreds of dead bees and from their state I could tell they'd died only recently,' said Geoff.

'I'd seen Asian honey bees before, having lived in the Torres Strait, and these looked very similar. I immediately placed 'hold' tape on the equipment, carried out thorough surveillance and sent a few bee samples to our entomologist in Brisbane using the remote diagnostic system.'

Remote diagnostic technology is fast and efficient. Officers can send live images from a specialised microscope through the internet, using Nikon digital sight technology, to a recipient.

'Once the identification came back as Asian honey bee, we conducted further inspections and detected a well formed hive with five combs attached. We then ordered immediate fumigation of the equipment.

'We collected the combs and sent them to Cairns for further analysis by AQIS entomologist Michael Gorton and to an Asian honey bee expert for DNA testing.'

The analysis found no varroa mites and no evidence of queen or brood cells and the hive also appeared too young to produce a swarm.

Asian honey bees are a natural host for varroa mites, a major threat to Australia's honey bee industry. In addition to competing with native bees for floral resources, the Asian honey bee is also a poor pollinator. They can be recognised by the distinct yellow and black stripes on their bodies towards the abdomen.

The break bulk cargo that carried the hitchhiking pests had arrived from Papua New Guinea—a known source for exotic pests such as the Asian honey bee and giant African snail.

Hit parade

Toad in the hold…

Qantas ground crew at Cairns International Airport were surprised to see a pair of beady black eyes peering back at them from inside timber packaging while unloading empty gas cylinders off a flight from Indonesia recently. The eyes belonged to a healthy, juvenile black spined toad ( Bufo melanostichtus ), a significant quarantine pest that had hitched a ride in the cargo hold.

…with crazy ants

Also hitching a ride on the gas cylinders that day was an entire colony of black crazy ant ( Paratrechina longicornis ) including the queen, workers and larvae. Although this tramp ant species is already established in Australia, the find shows how easy it is for ant pests to find their way to our border.

Alien mail

A few strange creatures have turned up in the mail recently. Sydney officer Sarah Rake intercepted a mail item from the United States with contents declared as an 'art sculpture'. Inside she was surprised to find an alien staring back at her. The creepy creature was fashioned from fish skin and fins, and required irradiation treatment before being released to its earthling recipient.

'Trick' pumpkin a threat

The description on another parcel from the US tried to trick our ever-alert officers at Sydney's international mail centre just before Halloween. Labelled as a 'plastic pumpkin', the package in fact contained the real thing, complete with a set of carving tools. Fresh fruit and vegetables are high-risk quarantine items.

Marine pests caught on web(site)

Unclean vessels are a serious problem for Australia's marine environment. But there is help at hand.

The Australian governments and marine industries have developed a website to assist vessel owners and users recognise, prevent and manage biofouling—the aquatic microorganisms, algae, plants and animals that grow on vessel hulls and submerged surfaces in seawater.

The website—www.marinepests.gov.au—includes a marine pest identification guide, a series of national biofouling management guidelines and a national control plan for established pests.

The pest identification guide shows identifying features of exotic pests, where they might be found and how to distinguish them from similar native species.

The biofouling management guidelines provide voluntary practical methods to reduce biofouling on:

  • recreational vessels
  • commercial fishing vessels
  • commercial vessels
  • non-trading vessels
  • petroleum and exploration equipment and infrastructure.

And the national control plans describe ways to minimise the impact and reduce the spread of six marine pests of concern: the Northern Pacific seastar, European green crab, Asian date mussel, European fan worm, Japanese seaweed and the European clam.

The Australian and state/territory governments are also working with marine industries, marine scientists and environmental groups on another project to help protect Australia's marine environment. The National System for the Prevention and Management of Marine Pest Incursions is being implemented to prevent new pests arriving, and to respond when a new pest does arrive and to minimise the spread and impact of already established pests.

First remote quarantine approved premises for WA

The Burrup Peninsula is a wild and isolated area in Western Australia. To help to protect this region and the rest of Australia from the introduction of exotic pests and diseases, Woodside has built the first quarantine approved premises outside the Perth metropolitan area.

This purpose built facility, located at the Pluto LNG Park, is designed to speed up the quarantine clearance process of containers.

'More than 1000 containers will be imported during the construction phase of the Pluto LNG Project and being able to clear the containers ourselves on-site will save us a lot of time,' said Ian Jamieson, Woodside Logistics and Shipping Manager for Pluto.

'But just as importantly, it means Woodside is contributing to the national effort to maintain Australia's biodiversity and biosecurity.'

AQIS trained Woodside and contract project personnel to do the quarantine inspections and cleaning. The facility and its procedures passed a final audit by AQIS in August.

The quarantine approved premises was officially opened in October and was dedicated to the memory of Woodside's Mike Olliffe who was instrumental in its design and construction and was awarded the Biosecurity Certificate of Commendation.

Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference

28 February - 3 March 2010

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Queensland

The frenetic increase in international travel and trade presents challenges for the future of Australia's agricultural industries and native environment.

While our global inter-connectedness increases opportunities for economic success and community development, it also increases the risk of spreading harmful pests and diseases.

Global Biosecurity 2010: safeguarding agriculture and the environment is the first conference of its kind in Australia that will bring together governments, agricultural industries and environmental organisations to discuss the best ways to manage the risks pre-border, at the border and post-border.

The conference will provide an opportunity to:

  • explore the drivers behind biosecurity
  • understand the threats and their impact
  • find out what information is out there and how to access it
  • appreciate the policy, regulations and operational procedures underpinning biosecurity planning and responses.

The who's who of the biosecurity world has been invited to the conference. Keynote speakers are international experts in biosecurity practices and systems and include:

Ms Rebecca Bech
Deputy Administrator, Plant Protection and Quarantine
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Topic: The biosecurity drivers for agriculture in the USA

Dr Angus Cameron
AusVet Animal Health Services
Topic: Animal disease surveillance systems

Professor Mick Clout
Associate Professor in Conservation Biology
The University of Auckland
Topic: Biodiversity impacts of invasive animal species

Deputy Secretary
Biosecurity Services Group
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Topic: Reshaping agricultural biosecurity for Australia

Mr Bob Griffin
Director Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Laboratory
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Topic: Risk analysis to safeguard agriculture and natural biological systems

Mr Johann van Der Merwe
Quarantine Manager
Gorgon HES, Chevron Australia
Topic: Biosecurity issues for a large multi-national industry

The conference is hosted by the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity, the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease and the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre.

For more information and to register, visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com



Last reviewed: 02 Mar 2010
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