Visitors to Wagin Woolorama with a pest insect in the vegetable patch or an unfamiliar weed in the paddock can stop by the Department of Agriculture and Food shed.
They can examine pests, diseases and weeds under a microscope and the department’s Pest and Disease information Service (PaDIS) team will be on hand to help with identification or collect a sample for future identification by entomologists, pathologists and weed experts.
Displays showing eight destructive pests, nominated by experts at the department as having the potential to cause the most damage to agriculture, the environment and our lifestyle, will be on show at the site.
PaDIS is an integral part of the department’s biosecurity activities, and provides a range of technical information to the community on animal and plant pests, diseases and weeds.
It’s also the frontline for the detection of potential exotic pests that could impact on agriculture, the environment and the Western Australian way of life.
By reporting to the PaDIS hotline, information is passed on to the relevant department experts who identify the species, assess its capacity to do harm and provide feedback.
When pests, weeds and diseases new to an area are found early enough they can often be eradicated or at least contained.
Department Agricultural Resource Risk Management Executive Director John Ruprecht said people should trust their instincts and report unusual findings to PaDIS.
“Landholders know what is what in their part of the world, even though they may not be an ornithologist, entomologist or botanist,” Mr Ruprecht said.
“They recognise all the usual birds, insects and weeds on their property, even if they can’t name every one of them.
“So when they see something unfamiliar it instantly registers that something is potentially alien to their home or patch of ground.
“These sightings could be a new pest, disease or weed for Western Australia or the region.”
The PaDIS team will also have information sheets on seasonal pests and diseases and a display comparing pest threats with native organisms which can be mistaken for them.
Before bringing samples in, visitors should consult the ‘Sending specimens for identification’ fact sheet available on the DAFWA website: agric.wa.gov.au which outlines how specimens should be collected and transported. All specimens must be in a sealed container or bag.
The Department of Agriculture and Food Shed is located at Site 626 on Kitchener Street at Wagin Woolorama, on 7-8 March 2014.
Media contact: Jodie Thomson/Dionne Tindale, media liaison +61 (0)8 9368 3937