Biosecurity

Agriculture in NSW is contributing more to the economy than ever before despite this year’s devastating weather events, with the total value of the industry rising by more than $2 billion last year to a record $23.1 billion ... “Livestock industries also achieved a record value of $7.9 billion due to a recovery in sheep meat and wool production and higher lamb, beef and wool prices": Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders.

A highly pathogenic and aggressive round worm which affects the crop yield of several vegetables, fruit and agricultural fibres has been detected in the Top End. Meloidogyne enterolobii, known as Guava Root-Knot Nematode, has been detected in four premises in Middle Point, Jingili, Palmerston and Malak.

Campaspe Shire Council would like to reassure the community that the mosquito monitoring program is continuing right across the shire, treating breeding sites, and trapping insects. Acting Director Community, Mr Andrew Fletcher said the program, jointly funded by the State Government and Council, usually operates across the summer season, from around November to March, however did not stop at the start of 2022 due to the presence of the Japanese Encephalitis virus (JEV).

Australian engineers from global company RingIR will visit the US Department of Agriculture in Boston next month, to test whether their revolutionary technology can be used to ‘sniff out’ pests that attach themselves to containers or other cargo (known as hitchhiker pests).

The Biosecurity (Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Biosecurity Response Zone) Determination 2022 covering relevant international airports has been extended to 30 June 2023 ... "Australia is currently free of FMD and we want to keep it that way. Extending this determination is a key part of our response": Director of Biosecurity and Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Andrew Metcalfe AO.

Queensland Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said the Feral Deer Management Strategy 2022-27 would help build capacity to control feral deer. “Feral deer numbers across Queensland are growing and pose an increasing threat to biodiversity, agriculture and public safety,” Mr Furner said.

Kangaroo Island’s reputation as a pristine environment will be further strengthened, with a world-first dedicated sterile blowfly breeding facility to be built on the island to help eradicate sheep blowfly. A brownfield site will be transformed into a state-of-the-art insect breeding centre, at which up to 50 million flies a week will be bred and irradiated to be sterile before release.

Some of Australia’s brightest minds are collaborating to finalise a portable device that uses artificial intelligence to help biosecurity officers more quickly identify high-risk brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) on the frontline ... This app will help operational staff identify the BMSB (Halyomorpha halys) and other invasive and endemic stink bug species in the field and in real-time.

An aerial cull of feral deer on the Fleurieu Peninsula culled more than 1000 deer from forests, farms and private conservation properties in September 2022 ... Aerial culling is the most effective landscape-scale tool currently available for rapidly reducing the impacts of feral deer.