Why is WFA involved in biosecurity issues?
The world is becoming increasingly globalised with international trade and tourism and growing movements of mail, cargo and machinery increasing exponentially the potential for plant pests to enter Australia. The Australian government through the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) maintains a low risk / conservative approach to quarantine, based on sound science and policy, and compliance with relevant international agreements.
Despite this, increasingly we have seen serious pest incursions that can have a devastating impact on Australian agricultural industries. It is inevitable that serious pest incursions will continue to occur in the plant sector, via either natural means or human actions, and we need to ensure that our response capabilities can deal with these situations when they arise.
Our vision for the industry
To maintain a sustainable and profitable grape and wine industry by fostering the development of a plant health management system that enhances Australia 's plant health status.
How will we achieve this?
This will be achieved through the following:
- Playing a proactive role in the development of national plant health policy
- Identifying biosecurity threats and risks including assessments of pathways
- Developing and implementing comprehensive risk management strategies to minimise the impact of pest incursions
- Developing effective incursion response programs supported by a shared understanding of responsibilities, effective training and optimisation of available infrastructure and resources
- Through Plant Health Australia (PHA), ensuring the grape and wine industry's interests are represented in policy development at the national level to protect Australia's plant industries and related resources from the risks posed by organisms through the implementation of exclusion, eradication and control measures.
A number of plant industries, including the grape and wine industry, have been engaged in negotiations with the Australian, State and Territory Governments to develop an Emergency Plant Pest Response Agreement to ensure early detection and rapid response to eradicate / manage exotic pests / disease incursions.
The agreement aims to give the affected industry a seat around the table to develop and manage response plans with the aim of minimising costs, payment of compensation to affected growers and maximising the effectiveness of any plan.
The Winemakers' Federation of Australia and Wine Grape Growers Australia recently signed the Emergency Plant Pest Response Agreement.
Background and other information
Who's working on biosecurity issues?
- Tony Battaglene, Director, International & Regulatory Affairs:
phone 02 6239 8300, email tony@wfa.org.au
Members are welcome to contact Tony with any enquiries on biosecurity.
