Australia, China join on global food security

CRICHTONA — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:41:24 +0000

The Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity (CRCNPB) has developed
memoranda of understanding with two leading Chinese science agencies and a university to
mount joint research programs aimed at curbing losses of grain and other vital crops to
insects, moulds and plant diseases.

“Food security is a top national priority for China – and Prime Minister Julia Gillard has
recently made it one for Australia as well. It is becoming a critical issue around the world.
This is a deal that makes good sense from every perspective,” the CEO of CRCNPB Dr Simon
McKirdy said today.

“When we visited China to sign these agreements, we were told food is in fact the Chinese
government’s number two priority overall. And we saw clear evidence of the massive
reinvestment and technical tooling-up they are now making in food and agricultural science.
Compared with what’s happening in Australia, it is huge – and the new partnership means
we now stand to benefit from their investment in science.”

The CRC signed MOUs with the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine and the
Chinese Academy of State Administration of Grain and will shortly sign a third with
Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University. These provide primarily for increased joint
research, and greater exchange of scientists and PhD students between the partners.

The initial research focus of the new collaboration will be in diagnostics – timely
identification of plant pests and diseases – and in the management of pests in stored grain.
“Worldwide, humanity loses anywhere between 8 and 20 per cent of its annual grain
harvest to insects and moulds – that’s enough food to feed every hungry person on the
planet,” Dr McKirdy explains.

“Australia is recognised as a world leader in dealing with insect pests in stored grain, and the
Chinese are keen to partner with us in this area.

“Also they really emphasised their concerns about the need to reduce the use of fumigants
and other chemicals used in food production.

“Australia has particular skills in developing clean, green approaches to grain hygiene and
China is keen to find non-chemical solutions to grain pests, so this works well for both of
us.”

The benefits from joint research collaboration can potentially flow on to other countries,
helping to improve global food security in general, Dr McKirdy says.

China is a major market for Australian grain and horticultural exports, with potential to grow
significantly, he adds. The biosecurity collaboration will assist this development. “Australia
will benefit by building a greater understanding of the import requirements for Australian
produce (as they apply to plant biosecurity) which will assist our grains and horticulture
industries develop further markets in China.”

More information:
Dr Simon McKirdy, Chief Executive Officer, CRCNPB, 02 6201 2412
Max Knobel, Communications Manager, CRCNPB, 0402 327 087
http://www.crcplantbiosecurity.com.au

A printable version of the media release is available here.

Dr Simon McKirdy with the Chinese delegates signing the MOU.

Back to The Leaflet.

Wiping out pests without wiping out vineyards

CRICHTONA — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 01:02:41 +0000

In an international breakthrough for pest control, Australia scientists have developed a new way to wipe out invading pests of tree crops or vines – without having to destroy the crops.

“The usual way to control a major pest invasion in an orchard or vineyard is to dig up all the trees or vines and burn them,” explains the Chief Executive Officer of the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity (CRCNPB), Dr Simon McKirdy.

“This can cause heartbreak, destroy livelihoods and disrupt a whole industry. In the case of vines that may be 100 years old, the loss is irreplaceable. We decided there had to be a better way.”

A team of CRCNPB researchers led by Dr Mark Sosnowski of the South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI) has joined hands with their American plant biosecurity colleagues to run an offshore trial in which they have proved it is possible to exterminate a dangerous crop disease – without destroying the farm.

Their chosen target was a fungal disease not yet found in Australia, known as black rot – a devastating disease of vines.

“Our approach was to try out various disease control strategies in the field, under real life conditions,” Dr Sosnowski explains “As black rot does not occur in Australia, we had to do the final tests with the live disease in the US, where it is endemic.”

The researchers started their trials in Australia using a local fungal disease called black spot that behaves similarly to black rot. In the first year they cut the infected vines right back to the trunk and sprayed them, while litter on the ground was cleared and burned. This achieved 90 per cent control of the disease. READ MORE

How Aussies put the sting on a stripey pest

CRICHTONA — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:03:19 +0000

Media Release: 12 September 2011

An army of keen-eyed Australian families has helped notch up a vital victory in the never-ending war on a ferocious and painful invader.

European wasps have been consistently exterminated from the pleasant homes, gardens, farms and parks of Perth, Western Australia, in the process demonstrating the effectiveness of a national defence approach to dealing with damaging invaders.

“We’re absolutely delighted how effective the wasp control in WA has been,” says Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity (CRCNPB) Chairman, Professor John Lovett. “Essentially, like the famous Coastwatch in World War II, it is about ordinary Australians who keep their eyes peeled for signs of invasion. We can then send in the ‘troops’ to defeat it.”

The stripey, aggressive European wasp (Vespula germanica) was first detected in Tasmania in 1959, then crossed to mainland Australia in 1977. It has since become established in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

The wasp also showed up in Perth for the first time in 1977, and has done so almost every year since, hitching rides on cargo from the Eastern States.

But in WA, every single one of its nests has been wiped out.

If even one survived, it would breed queens in their thousands, enough to populate the whole State with wasps, a CRCNPB report has found. READ MORE

Australia extends digital pest-detection network to Asia

K.Scott — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:31:16 +0000

Media Release: 10 August 2010

Australia’s digital pest-detection network is expanding to neighbouring Asian nations to identify and combat invasive insects and diseases that threaten Australia’s agricultural industries and markets before they arrive.

A network of more than 30 camera-connected microscopes linked to a public internet-based image library is already part of the arsenal being deployed to meet Australia’s biosecurity challenges.

This includes remote districts like Kununurra in Western Australia, which would otherwise have a limited access to the expertise required to identify new plant pests and diseases.

The digital diagnostic technology and procedures developed by the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for National Plant Biosecurity have now been extended to East Timor, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam to enhance their diagnostic capability and contribute to Australia’s ‘pre-border’ surveillance.

Plant pathologist Dr Gary Kong is leading the CRC’s digital diagnostic project and says the increasing volume of international trade and people movement are placing greater pressure on our quarantine systems.

“At the same time the pool of expertise to diagnose new incursions is shrinking. Digital tools are helping us to do more with less and increasing access to information that improves our capacity to identify new pests and disease and respond more quickly.” READ MORE

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Biosecurity researchers aid the surveillance of exotic disease

K.Scott — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:18:14 +0000

Media Release: 30 July 2010

You could be forgiven for thinking it’s a military operation planning room. Topographical maps are spread across the table with bright coloured dots indicating where the threat was located and hopefully eliminated. Satellite imagery of the local terrain is projected on to a white screen at the front of the room showing lush agricultural areas and mountainous state forests. There are no military uniforms though. This meeting is a gathering of scientists from the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity and Industry & Investment New South Wales staff who are planning surveillance strategies to monitor this exotic threat.

The threat is Uredo rangelli (Myrtle rust) which was recently detected at a NSW Central Coast cut flower growing facility. Very closely related to the rust fungus causing guava rust, it infects the Myrtaceae family of plants (which includes many Australian native species). This is the first detection of Myrtle rust in Australia and while it’s not been found on eucalypts, there is limited knowledge of its impact or behaviour under Australian conditions.

CRC chief executive officer, Dr Simon McKirdy said the CRC was approached by Australia’s Plant Health Committee (PHC) to deploy scientific resources and assist with surveillance of the rust.

“Given our plant biosecurity research activities, PHC approached us as part of their management strategy. We have flown in researchers from across the country to provide as much assistance as we can,” he said. READ MORE

Instructions for downloading images

To download and save images, right-click on the link and click ‘save target as’. If you experience any problems, please contact Communications Manager, Kate Scott on 0402 299 611 or k.scott@crcplantbiosecurity.com.au

Wild dog disease to blame for cattle miscarry?

VANMEURSA — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:20:48 +0000

Global Biosecurity Media Relese: February 2010

New research linking wild dogs to miscarriage in cattle threatens to widen the impact the pests have on Australian livestock producers.

Known for their attacks on sheep, wild dogs are now under suspicion of transferring reproductive disease, neosporosis, to cattle.

Caused by the microscopic parasite Neospora caninum (N. caninum), neosporosis is estimated to cost the Australian dairy and beef industries, an average of $30 million a year in aborted pregnancies.

“Research has shown that vertical transmission alone, in which the cow transfers the parasite to its foetus, is insufficient to sustain infection in a herd,” University of Sydney PhD candidate Jessica King said.

Overseas research identified domestic dogs as a source of N. caninum infection to cattle during 1998. Dogs are capable of shedding N. caninum oocysts in their faeces following consumption of infected tissue or afterbirth from cattle. These oocysts become infective in the environment and can contaminate feed and water of livestock.

Ms King is working with the Invasive Animals CRC to research whether Australian wild canids (dingoes, dingo/domestic dog hybrids and foxes) are the missing link in the transmission of this disease to cattle. She explains what farmers can do to minimise the spread of neosporosis when she presents her findings at the Global Biosecurity Conference in Brisbane from February 28 to March 3.

Ms King said the symptoms of neosporosis in herds were sporadic.

“Cows or heifers may abort occasionally and in low numbers throughout the herd, or it may occur as an ‘abortion storm’, where up to 33 per cent of the breeding herd may abort within a few months.”

“Adult cows show no clinical signs of illness following infection.”

Recent surveys of N. caninum in cattle revealed that a large proportion of herds with the disease were located close to bushland where wild dogs and foxes are common.

“Our experimental trials identified that Australian dingoes are a definitive host of N. caninum and therefore a risk factor for neosporosis in cattle.”

“However we should not use data to condemn wild dogs, because farm dogs are likely to be as much to blame for the transmission of the disease to cattle.”

“Farm and other domestic dogs have ready access to potentially infectious material when fed offal and through scavenging on dead cattle and afterbirth.”

Ms King collaborates with scientists at the University of Technology Sydney, Charles Sturt University and Industry & Investment NSW. She is supported through a stipend from the Invasive Animals CRC who are joining forces with the Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease and CRC for National Plant Biosecurity to host the world’s first international conference focusing on agricultural and environmental biosecurity.

Global Biosecurity 2010 is sponsored by: Horticulture Australia Limited, the Grains Research and Development Corporation and the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis.

Photo caption: New research linking wild dogs to miscarriage in cattle threatens to widen the impact the pests have on Australian livestock producers.

Photo courtesy of Jessica King, University of Sydney

Registrations for the conference are now open. Visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

Media contact l Laureta Wallace

P (08) 6250 4561
M 0457 589 703

Summit to put spotlight on biosecurity

VANMEURSA — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:44:03 +0000

Global Biosecurity Media Relese: February 2010

In an Australian first, key players from across the biosecurity spectrum will come together under one roof to discuss the increasingly complex battle to protect the economy and environment from exotic pests and disease threats.

Global Biosecurity 2010: safeguarding agriculture and the environment will feature the ‘who’s who’ of the biosecurity world, showcasing the latest research in pre-border, border and post-border biosecurity science.

Key note speakers will include Rob Delane, Director-General of the Department of Agriculture and Food, WA; Bob Griffin, director of plant epidemiology and the risk analysis laboratory within the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Associate Professor Mick Clout in conservation biology at the University of Auckland; and Dr Angus Cameron, AusVet Animal Health Services.

Greg Fraser, Executive Director and CEO of Plant Health Australia, will also be speaking at the conference.

“Australia’s geographic isolation has meant that we have remained free of many of the pests and diseases that have significantly impacted agriculture industries overseas. This is reinforced by a world class biosecurity system that works to mitigate these exotic biosecurity threats and retain the advantages of being pest-free, such as increased production, reduced operational costs and wide market access,” Mr Fraser said.

“The ongoing protection of our rural industries requires a number of partnerships. It requires partnering internationally, working beyond our borders to reduce the risks coming from overseas. It requires governments and industries working in partnership to ensure that systems are in place for prevention and incursion management. It also requires a partnership between governments, industries and producers to implement on-farm biosecurity measures and surveillance.”

The Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference will provide an opportunity to build on this partnership approach, with experts from government, agricultural industries, research institutions and environmental organisations coming together to share knowledge and build networks.

The conference will be hosted by the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity, Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease and the Invasive Animals CRC.

The Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference is sponsored by: Horticulture Australia Limited, the Grains Research and Development Corporation and the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis.

Registrations for the conference are now open. Visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

Media contact l Laureta Wallace

P (08) 6250 4561
M 0457 589 703

Domestic animals: pets or pests?

VANMEURSA — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:30:58 +0000

Global Biosecurity Media Relese: February 2010

Foxes, pigs, cane-toads and rabbits are notorious for the devastation they cause as some of Australia’s most infamous feral animals.

But there is increasing concern over stopping the ‘next wave’ of invasive animals — pets that could become pests.

Professor Tony Peacock, Chief Executive Officer of the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research

Centre (IACRC) said some pets have real potential to negatively impact on biosecurity and threaten Australia’s unique wildlife.

“Almost all feral fish populations established since World War II have come from home aquaria,”

Professor Peacock said.

“Tilapia, considered to be one of the world’s worst 100 pests, were originally brought in as tropical aquarium fish, but have now invaded river and dam systems in Queensland and Western Australia, and are heading south.”

“As tilapia spread they are expected to take a heavy toll on our native wildlife by eating the eggs and young of prawns, barramundi and several other native threatened species such as Murray cod.”

The fish don’t swim here themselves. Professor Peacock says this highlights that people are in the driver’s seat of this problem.

“Don’t release pet fish into the environment. Fish that are released into local waterways can upset the natural balance and impact on native fish species.”

“Once pest animals have arrived and have established populations, we have to resort to control, providing it is feasible, viable and alleviates the negative impact.”

Investigative work is constantly being undertaken to monitor any new threats, and to work with policy and decision-makers to avoid the threats posed by potentially invasive species.

“Prevention is always better than a cure,” said Professor Peacock.

“A smart decision by the government was to ban Savannah cats from import to Australia.”

“Savannah cats are derived from domestic cats and African servals. They would have passed serval genes onto our feral cat population, posing a high risk to our wildlife.”

“The last thing we need is genes for better hunting efficiency and bigger cats getting into our feral cat population.”

“The Savannah cat ban shows we are learning from previous mistakes, such as introducing rabbits and cane-toads. If in doubt, we should keep it out,” he said.

And it seems as though other countries are following suit.

“The US is considering banning giant snakes, many of which have been imported as pets and then released, and are now over-running national park areas such as the Everglades,” said Professor Peacock.

Recognising biosecurity is a global issue, IACRC are joining forces with the Australian Biosecurity CRC for

Emerging Infectious Disease and CRC for National Plant Biosecurity to host the world’s first international conference focusing on agricultural and environmental biosecurity. The conference will take place in Brisbane from February 28 to March 3 2010 and will discuss a myriad of biosecurity topics across these sectors.

The Global Biosecurity 2010 is sponsored by: Horticulture Australia Limited, Grains Research and

Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis (ACERA).

Registrations for the conference are now open. Visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

Media contact l Laureta Wallace

P (08) 6250 4561
M 0457 589 703

New tools on the horizon for exotic disease control in feral pigs

VANMEURSA — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:47:08 +0000

Global Biosecurity Media Relese: 27 January 2010

Australia has long been concerned about the threats posed by feral pigs, the destruction they cause to the environment and the cost to the agricultural industry.

They are also a serious disease risk.

Leader of the Uptake Products and Strategies program with the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (IA CRC), Dr Steven Lapidge says feral pigs carry about 20 different exotic diseases, which could have crippling consequences for human and animal health.

“They are highly mobile and can recover quickly from reductions in population size, either by immigration or reproduction, making them ideal transporters of exotic diseases,” Dr Lapidge said.

“It is estimated there are between 4–23 million feral pigs in Australia at any one time, depending on environmental variables such as drought, so it is important Australia is equipped to manage any potential for disease outbreak.”

During the past two decades, researchers have continued to refine their predictions of the likely rate of spread of disease through the feral pig population, to enhance Australia’s disease preparedness.

However, Dr Lapidge says new ideas and techniques to predict and manage potential disease spread in feral pigs are always needed.

“We are using a different approach from past studies — one based on forensic techniques involving mapping genetic relatedness,” Dr Lapidge said.

“This allows us to analyse and provide estimates on the minimum movement of feral pigs, particularly large dominant boars, from which transmission rates of exotic disease can be estimated and appropriate management units for feral pigs in Australian rangelands developed.”

“It is all about trying to understand where disease may spread and where it may naturally stop.”

“More recently, rapidly-deployable control tools to limit disease spread have also been developed and registered, and faster-acting toxicants are in development that can be used for disease surveillance.”

Dr Lapidge says more proactive tools to minimise exotic disease threats are also in the pipeline; a hot topic at the upcoming Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference in Brisbane.

“For example, prophylactic vaccination baits, which could be distributed in potential disease hotspots, are an option to create a buffer-zone and take a more proactive approach.”

Dr Lapidge will be one of many biosecurity experts presenting at the first international Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference to be held in Brisbane in February this year.

The conference will bring together a host of biosecurity experts to discuss best practice and how Australia can maintain effective biosecurity measures, which are vital to keeping our agricultural industries and the environment healthy.

The conference is a partnership event between the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity, Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease and the Invasive Animals CRC.

The Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference is sponsored by: the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC); the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis (ACERA); Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS).

Registrations for the conference are now open. Visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

Media contact l Laureta Wallace

P (08) 6250 4561
M 0457 589 703

Drastic pruning technique to tackle exotic grapevine diseases

VANMEURSA — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:40:14 +0000

Global Biosecurity Media Relese: 20 January 2010

A new drastic pruning technique might be the key to efficiently removing potentially disastrous plant diseases from Australian grapevines.

Black rot in particular is an exotic disease which causes havoc in grapevines across the world. The fungus infects the leaves, stems, petioles and rots berries of grapevines.

“The current strategy to eradicate such a plant disease is based partly on the complete removal of whole-affected plants, followed by burning and burial,” South Australian Research and Development Institute research scientist Dr Mark Sosnowski said.

“However, this practice incurs significant costs to industry, especially when perennial species are involved.”

“Alternative strategies need to be developed that meet eradication goals while reducing the economic and social impact.”

Leading a Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity project, Dr Sosnowski set up a trial in the Sunraysia district of Victoria in collaboration with Dr Bob Emmett (Department of Primary Industries, Victoria), using the endemic disease, Black spot (Anthracnose), as a model to develop and assess a drastic pruning protocol for disease eradication.

“The viticulture industry has been selected as an initial pilot to develop alternative pruning techniques to remove the harmful plant pest but allow enough residual plant material to guarantee rapid grapevine regeneration,” Dr Sosnowski said.

“In collaboration with Cornell University, the project team has also established a trial in the USA to validate the pruning strategy on black rot infected vines.”

“The results from this research have the potential to save the Australian wine industry more than $18 million in lost production and vineyard re-establishment costs.”

Dr Sosnowski says plant biosecurity is all about protecting the economy, community and the environment from problems associated with plant pests and diseases.

“Due to Australia’s geographic isolation and strong focus on quarantine, we’re in the fortunate situation of being free of many significant pests that adversely affect agricultural production in other countries.”

“Fewer pest and disease problems provide an enormous market advantage to Australian producers.”

“However, to maintain this highly-regarded position within the global wine industry, controlling exotic pests and diseases is paramount. The threat of this disease to our wine industry is heightened by globalisation and international trade.”

Dr Sosnowski will be one of the many scientists presenting their research on a myriad of biosecurity topics at the first international Global Biosecurity 2010 Conference to be held in Brisbane in February.

The conference will bring together biosecurity experts to discuss best practice and how Australia can
maintain effective biosecurity measures which are vital to keeping our agricultural industries and
the environment healthy.

The conference is a partnership event between the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity, Australian
Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease and the Invasive Animals CRC.

Photo caption: A new drastic pruning technique might be the key to efficiently removing
potentially disastrous plant diseases from Australian grapevines.

Registrations for the conference are now open. Visit www.globalbiosecurity2010.com

Media contact l Laureta Wallace

P (08) 6250 4561
M 0457 589 703

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