Biosecurity

We’re excited to announce the release of the 2024 Animal Health in Australia (AHiA) Annual Report — your annual summary of key achievements, disease investigations, surveillance activities and updates to policies and programs in Australia’s animal health system.

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said he feared the Albanese Government was prepared to trade away Australia’s biosecurity advantage to appease the Trump Administration, after reports the Government had put beef imports on the negotiating table. Mr Littleproud said Australia’s strong biosecurity must remain a priority, instead of being used as a bargaining tool by Labor.

A breakthrough in how we identify pests entering Australia has now been successfully tried and tested in Sydney. ‘MALDI-TOF’ and ‘MinION’ are new diagnostic systems being adopted in our border biosecurity operations that use protein and DNA profiles to rapidly identify species through automated data matching.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has sparked debate around the introduction of a bounty on feral animals. Speaking on radio last week Mr Minns suggested that a system where shooters are paid a small fee for each feral animal killed could be a "novel way" to reduce their populations, which he believes have "taken over a lot of parks."

Michelle Daw. Entire marine habitats around Yorke Peninsula could be destroyed by the current algal bloom, a local marine conservationist has warned. Speaking at a community forum in Marion Bay on Sunday, June 1, Andy Cameron of Foul Bay said the full extent of the damage caused by the bloom was yet to be revealed.

A new avian influenza collaboration between CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and Indonesia has gained international recognition in Paris overnight, with endorsement from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) ... The three-year initiative, called BICOLLAB, was formally endorsed at the World Assembly of Delegates during WOAH’s General Session...

The Northern Territory Government is stepping up preparedness efforts against emergency animal diseases with a managed biosecurity exercise funded by the Commonwealth Government through the Northern Australian Coordination Network (NACN) which is set to get underway tomorrow.

Sarah Herrmann. Oyster farms in Stansbury have been forced to close while authorities investigate whether food safety is at risk from brevetoxins produced by the microalgae Karenia. At least six farms were closed from Monday, May 5, as a precaution under the Primary Produce (Food Safety Schemes) (Seafood) Regulations 2017.

Potential declines in bee populations due to varroa mite infestation could jeopardise Australian horticultural production, Rabobank says in a newly-released report ... In the report, How varroa mites might impact Australian pollinators, the bank’s RaboResearch division says this threat comes at a time when demand growth for pollination is outpacing growth in beehive numbers.

Prue Weir spoke about the issue of tropical soda apple at the Kyogle Council meeting on Monday, April 14. Ms Weir is a part of a group of residents formed in late 2023 to raise awareness of the insidious weed ... “It is an environmental disaster,” Ms Weir said.