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The Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry sponsored 6 delegates from neighbouring countries to take part in two national plant biosecurity workshops this month.

The visit was part of the government’s $2.395 million commitment to Plant Health Australia as included in the Priority Pest and Disease Planning and Response program to enhance the nation’s surveillance and diagnostic capabilities.

The delegates, from Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands, joined 150 attendees at the Annual Surveillance Workshop (ASW) and the Annual Diagnostic Workshop (ADW) in Tweed Heads, New South Wales from the 19 to 21 March. They also met with the department’s secretary Adam Fennessy PSM this week to discuss diagnostic laboratories and surveillance activities and undertook field trips in Queensland to look at programs such as the department’s vector monitoring activities.

Australia’s Chief Plant Protection Officer, Dr Gabrielle Vivian-Smith said the department is working to foster collaboration and connectivity across borders and disciplines and thanked the delegates for sharing their experiences and knowledge during their visit.

“The plant biosecurity workshops are hugely important in creating relationships, sharing knowledge, and ensuring that positive steps are taken to preserve and safeguard plant biosecurity in both Australia and neighbouring countries.

“The workshops are a great opportunity for our near-neighbours to share their experience about plant health surveillance activities, especially around solutions for conducting remote surveillance and approaches to community engagement,” Dr Vivian-Smith said.

Dr Vivian-Smith said the department works closely with Timor-Leste and PNG through the International Plant Health Surveillance Program and Timor-Leste Biosecurity Development Program. While the partnership with Solomon Islands is delivered through the Solomons Island Biosecurity Development Program.

“Through these programs we can deliver annual plant health surveys and collaborate on a number of other biosecurity capacity development activities such as early warning systems, diagnostic training and border and pathway capacity.

“This collaboration helps creates a more robust biosecurity system for the entire region, preserving food security and market access opportunities for our partner countries as well as supporting preparedness against exotic pest threats to Australia’s $81 billion agricultural industry.”

Workshop participants discussed the importance of involving communities in monitoring plant pests through expert guest speakers and panel discussions. Other topics discussed were the challenges of unculturable organisms, advanced diagnostic tools for plant biosecurity and the importance of involving communities in monitoring for plant pests.