Summary

Australia’s freedom from many exotic pests (insects, pathogens [diseases], mites, nematodes and weeds) provides the ginger industry with significant production advantages compared with other countries that produce this crop.

Through this project, biosecurity preparedness for the ginger industry would commence through the development of an Industry Biosecurity Plan (IBP). Biosecurity planning provides a mechanism for the ginger industry, governments and other stakeholders to assess current biosecurity practices and future biosecurity needs. When coupled with PHA membership and the signing the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD), biosecurity planning will provide the ginger industry with the framework for risk mitigation and managing the impact of potential pest incursions.

The development of the IBP would be facilitated by PHA in close consultation with representatives from the ginger industry and scientific experts. Through the development of the IBP, the ginger industry would identify:
• The highest risk exotic pests to the industry
• Risk mitigation activities required to reduce the biosecurity threats
• Key biosecurity action items for the industry
• Surveillance activities and diagnostic capability available

The Ginger IBP will be endorsed by the industry and, if requested, launched at an appropriate industry event.

The Ginger IBP has been published on the Plant Health Australia website at http://www.planthealthaustralia.com.au/industries/ginger/

Program

Ginger

Research Organisation

Plant Health Australia Limited

Objective Summary

The development the Industry Biosecurity Plan (IBP) will provide a framework for biosecurity activities to be implemented at the national level. The Ginger IBP would be based on similar IBPs produced by PHA for its other plant industry Members. This proposal fits directly within the national research priority of Safeguarding Australia and the Rural research priority of Biosecurity. Specific objectives that would be addressed through the development of the IBP are to:
• Identify potential exotic pest threats to the ginger industry and, where information is available, determine the associated risk of entry, establishment, spread and economic impact for each pest.
• Prioritise pest threats to the industry to provide direction for the allocation of resources in biosecurity in the ginger industry.
• Identify those pests for which the potential threat is unknown and that require additional research.
• Identify key areas for investment in biosecurity in the ginger industry.
• Establish what risk mitigation activities are currently undertaken in the industry and what could be implemented in the future to reduce biosecurity threats to production.
• Identify surveillance activities and diagnostic capabilities that are available in Australia for the ginger industry.