Plant biosecurity

The mission of Western Australia's plant biosecurity programs is to safeguard plant resources from exotic and established pests and diseases. The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) has adopted a 'biosecurity continuum' approach with pre-border, border and post-border biosecurity strategies as integral components of this approach.

The aim of DAFWA’s approach is to identify key threats to productivity, sustainability and market access and outline preventive and response strategies.

The management of biological risks to market access, product safety, quality, productivity and sustainability is a shared responsibility and can be managed together and cost-effectively by means of partnerships between industry, community and government.

DAFWA’s biosecurity policies and operations are targeted to facilitate safe trade, tourism and commodity movement whilst reducing exposure of the State's plant resources to exotic biological risks.

Articles

  • Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum is a bacterial plant pathogen that is exotic to Australia. Currently five haplotypes have been described: haplotypes A and B from solanaceous crops suc

  • Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum is an exotic pest to Australia. It can affect both solanaceous and apiaceous crops.

  • In 2015, a review of pest organisms recorded in Australia with an association with grapevines, identified over 250 that have not yet established in Western Australia.

  • A pest risk assessment of pests with reported occurrences in Australia but which have not established in Western Australia (WA) found 45 pests that were considered priority pest threats to the viti

  • The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has taken action to protect Western Australia’s citrus growers from the threat of citrus canker following confirmation that the disease

  • The recent listeria food safety warning around rockmelons on the east coast of Australia does not apply to Western Australia.

  • Sweet potato weevil Cylas formicarius (Fabricius) is the most serious pest of sweet potato, not only in the United States, but around the world.

  • Dickeya dianthicola is a serious bacterium that can cause tuber soft rot and blackleg in potatoes, and can also affect some ornamental varieties, chicory and artichoke.

  • The department is reviewing its policy in regards to the import of washed ware potatoes from other Australian states and territories.

  • Protecting Western Australian citrus orchards from pests and diseases that could significantly affect their production and therefore the availability of citrus is an important activity of growers,

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