Biosecurity

A new venture, Oxitec Australia, is taking on two of the deadliest virus-carrying mosquitos in the Pacific region – Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus – to fight the spread of diseases like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever, which claims hundreds of thousands of lives globally each year.  Launched today, Oxitec Australia is a collaboration between CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and UK-based Oxitec Ltd, the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests.    

The NSW Fire Ant Program is launching Operation Five Valleys in the Kyogle region in an effort to prevent the spread of fire ants. The fire ant team will use specially trained detection dogs and human surveillance teams to monitor identified high-risk sites.

A new study has revealed there may be a significant underestimation of a specific type of  PFAS ‘forever chemical’ in the environment. Researchers from UNSW Sydney found that branched perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was more prevalent than expected in firefighting foam.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) is urging the Victorian Government to consider a complete overhaul of the state’s truck wash network to plug major gaps in Victoria’s biosecurity preparedness safety net.  VFF Livestock President Scott Young said the recent closure of the truck wash facility at the Pakenham saleyards has exposed how fragile the state network is.  

A workshop in Fiji this month will seek to strengthen biosecurity in the Pacific by developing a new strategy to manage risks associated with sea container movements. The strategy aims to reduce the global spread of hitchhiker pests across the Pacific region via the sea container pathway.

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said the latest detection of fire ants in northern New South Wales shows the former Queensland Labor Government was too slow to act on the Senate inquiry report "Red imported fire ants in Australia – ‘don’t let this come back to bite us’" … the Clunes discovery … comes after previous findings of fire ants in Murwillumbah and Wardell.

The Pesticide Resistance Integrated Mapping (PRIM) tool offers a clear view of pesticide resistance across Australia, helping growers and agronomists make data-driven crop management decisions … PRIM visualises fungicide resistance data and aims to expand to herbicide, insecticide, and biosecurity data.

Boehringer Ingelheim has been awarded a multi-year contract to continue to provide antigen and vaccine supply capability as part of Australia’s Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) preparedness ... Head of Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim Australia and New Zealand, Christoph Tautphaeus, said although FMD has never been detected in Australia, being ready to combat an outbreak was critically important.

The National Farmers’ Federation warns that the Federal Government’s dismal response to the Red Imported Fire Ant Senate Inquiry Report will come back to bite ... “It appears the Government is underestimating this pest. Red fire ants pose a mammoth risk not only to farming, but to humans, animals, plants and the quintessential Aussie backyard barbecue”: NFF Sustainable Development and Climate Change Committee Chair Angus Atkinson.

Tasmanian farmers continue to take wildlife management seriously as new data released by Primary Industries and Water Minister Jane Howlett reveals that 1,373 Property Protection Permits were issued in the 2023-24 financial year. TasFarmers President Ian Sauer said farmers support the government's approach to addressing surging wildlife populations, including deer and wallabies…