Keynote address for Science Exchange 2016 from Dr Sally Troy, Assistant Secretary, Plant Health Policy Department of Agriculture and Water Resources

1. OPENING PLENARY
Keynote address
Sally Troy

2. biosecurity built on science
Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre
Dr Sally Troy
Assistant Secretary, Plant Health Policy
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
Plant Biosecurity

3. biosecurity built on science
Import from overseas
To protect the economy from the impact of exotic pests and diseases
Safeguard Australia
Safeguard Australia’s
plant health status
Export overseas
Maintain and improve overseas
market
 Are we managing the
risk?
 Are we being a
reasonable regulator?
 How can we
improve?
Government perspective

4. biosecurity built on science
 Globally (2012)
- > 8 billion tonnes of cargo,
- 4.8 billion people,
- 1633 airports
- 179 countries
 Australia (2015) - INCOMING
- 15,300 Planes
- 4,000 Ships
- 140 million mail items
- 1.6 million shipping containers
- 18 million travellers
Manage the risk – very large volumes

5. biosecurity built on science
Item 2014–15 2013–14 2012–13
International passenger clearances (a) 17 907 000 17 167 000 16 200 000
Seizures of items from air passengers 257 682 257 425 247 054
Post-intervention compliance—air passengers 98.84% – –
Sea passenger and crew clearances 600 061 513 473 794 122
Seizures of items from sea passengers 3 514 3 582 5 124
International mail articles (total volume) (a) 146 100 000 (b) 173 170 000 186 580 000
Seizures of mail items 24 210 24 096 27 608
Post-intervention compliance—mail 99.91% – –
Airports where we have staff 8 8 8
International mail facilities where we have staff 4 4 4
Import permit applications received 21 692 23 493 22 672
Import permits issued 17 243 18 708 19 125
Shipping pratique visits—first ports
18 060 17 461
16 300
Country Action List (CAL) sea container inspections (first port) 57 423 45 617 46 482
Commercial consignments referred to the department (c) 450 000 440 000 –
Air freight consignments (under $1000)
611 349 621 606
645 000
Live animal imports processed at government post-entry quarantine facilities
(d)
cats - 1552
dogs - 3693
horses - 389
avians - 137
queen bees - 0
alpacas 0 - 12
cats - 1573
dogs - 3525
Horses - 444
avians - 473
queen bees - 16
Ruminants - 34
cats - 1815
dogs - 3761
horses -495
avians -447
Managing Australia’s Imports
a Rounded to the nearest thousand.
b Declining mail volumes predominantly
letter class and other articles, attributed
to increased use of electronic mail and
fluctuations in the Australian dollar.
c Shown to two significant figures and
provided as additional reporting.
d Additional information on imports of
queen bees and ruminants not reported
in 2012–13.
e Reduction in hatching eggs due to
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
outbreaks in the northern hemisphere.

6. biosecurity built on science
Plant imports - 2015
>100 million ornamental bulbs (in 1988, ~250,000 bulbs)
>2 million tissue culture plantlets (in 1999, < 12,000 T.C. plantlets
25,000+ low/medium risk ornamental plants
2,500 high risk cvs & seed lines
Volumes significantly increasing e.g.. 40 containers of Yucca canes
Plant Exports - 2015
68,000 export certificates for grains and horticulture produce
Manage the risk – very large volumes

7. biosecurity built on science
Jurisdiction Total agriculture ($) Total crop ($) Total livestock ($)
Australia 49,837,422,020 24,676,513,021 25,160,908,999
New South Wales 11,286,637,811 5,759,098,961 5,527,538,849
Victoria 12,337,390,359 4,599,584,846 7,737,805,512
Queensland 10,927,215,799 4,925,013,861 6,002,201,937
South Australia 5,808,333,585 3,569,153,478 2,239,180,107
Western Australia 7,377,633,978 5,287,987,705 2,089,646,273
Tasmania 1,343,079,362 457,435,329 885,644,032
Northern Territory 749,885,986 76,374,559 673,511,427
Australian Capital Territory 7,245,136 1,864,279 5,380,857
Australian, State/Territory Local Values of production taken from Value of
Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, (2014-15 ABS)

8. biosecurity built on science
 Crop production $24.7 Billion
- Between $24 & $31 Billion in last decade
 Export value
- Grown from $15.6 to $24 Billion in same period
Manage the risk – very large Values
2016-17 $b
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Crop production value
Crop export value

9. biosecurity built on science
Comparison of key Plant and Animal Pests statistics Plant Animal
High Priority Pests (from IBP process) 362
Categorised pests/diseases under EPPRD/EADRA 82 66
Notifiable pests / diseases under state/territory legislation 479
Pests / diseases on NAQS target list 129 16 (plus 3
vectors)
Plant pest species surveyed for the National Plant Health Surveillance
Program
96 .
OIE diseases, infections and infestations in force in 2016 - 118
Quarantinable pests and diseases 621,730 446
(Note that the list in the proclamation is restricted to families and orders of
potential plant pests in most cases, due to the number of species being so large.
The figures presented here represent only the exotic species in those groups.
Data for weed species of concern has not yet been included.)
Viruses (expanding rapidly due to advances in molecular biology) approx.
2000
Viroids
30
Plant pathogenic fungi (compiled for Basidiomycetes only thus far)
8,000
Ectomychorrhizal fungi as potential beneficial bioremediation agents
6,000
Bacteria
1,800
Snails and slugs
23,000
Mites
4,400
Potential insect pests (more detailed information provided in appendix 1)
572,500
-
Complexity of the Australian Plant Biosecurity System
Pathogen
Impact???
Host
???
Although the pest organism may be known, the unknown host range
(including within native flora) and environmental (including
production system) impacts on the host and pest, make determining
priorities difficult.

10. biosecurity built on science
 2500 species assessed through Import Risk Assessments to date
 230 assessments each year for processed products, biologicals,
machinery, passengers
 26,000 Plant pest & disease data sheets on CABI
Manage the risk – complexity

11. biosecurity built on science
 Changing
- pest distributions
- pest hosts
- pest treatment efficacy
- production means, patterns & distributions
 Estimating rates and risks
- Approach
- Entry
- Establishment
- Spread
- Impact
Manage the risk – variability & uncertainty

12. biosecurity built on science
 An essential component
- Identify pests, pathways
- Detect
- Control/treat
- Set conditions
- Respond
- Estimation of risk
- Review, Verify, Assure
- Identification of material change
Manage the risk – role of science
Setting priorities
for
maximal
risk return

13. biosecurity built on science
 The Biosecurity Act 2015 replaced the Quarantine Act 1908 and is flexible
and responsive to changes in technology and future challenges.
 The new legislation replaces the Quarantine Act 1908 which was written in
a completely different time where today’s technology, transportation
systems and volumes and types of international trade were unimaginable.
 The Act:
- provides a modern regulatory framework to support the biosecurity system
into the future and accommodates advances in transport and technology
- reduces duplication and regulatory impacts
- allows for current and future trading environments
- allows for collaboration across government and industry
- introduces new terminology and some new requirements that clients and
stakeholders need to know about
Biosecurity Act 2015Reasonable Regulation -

14. biosecurity built on science
 Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper
- committed $200 million to improve all Australia's ability to understand, detect and respond to pests
and diseases
- Surveillance, diagnostics, technical market access requests, analytics, information management
- Opportunity for significant one-off investment in national capability
 Service Delivery Modernisation Programme
- to streamline and improve our business processes and client service through better use of modern
technology and work practices.
- To date, we have:
 documented and analysed existing service delivery arrangements
 defined a future state for our service delivery
 implemented priority projects to enable the online lodgement of documentation for imported
cargo, to improve call management and to conduct a pilot of mobile devices for our workforce to
enable on-the-spot service delivery.
Other reforms

15. biosecurity built on science
DAWR
Plant
Future
Operating
Model

16. biosecurity built on science
 Changing:
- Climate
- Human activities
- Pest and disease behaviour and movement
 Just handling the volumes of information requires sophisticated
systems
- Distilling signal from noise
- Estimating and Comparing risks
- Setting priorities
Improve- Research and Development Challenges

17. biosecurity built on science
Interception:
 Better detection of small, subtle, slow or asymptomatic pests and diseases
 Shift away from relying on visual examination and move towards biosensors, thermal and ultrasound technologies?
Diagnostics:
 Improve diagnostic platforms to be faster, cost effective and consistent
 Analyse numerous samples simultaneously whilst maintaining sensitivity and accuracy
 Develop national diagnostic protocols for the priority plant pests
Controls:
 Alternative measures
 Bio-stimulants and bio-controls
 Larger scales & volumes
Surveillance:
 where and what to look for?
 How to effectively survey (and control)?
 Alternative surveillance technologies i.e. smart-traps and drone technology?
Risk Assessment:
Pests – biology, hosts, impact, likely effectiveness of control
Pathways
Areas
Improve - Research and Development Needs

18. biosecurity built on science
IF
Highly complex system
AND
Impossible (or not cost effective) to completely codify
THEN WE NEED
Intelligent, informed agents operating within the system, seeking to improve it
THE REAL PRIORITIES

19. biosecurity built on science
 THANK YOU