Biosecurity key to future of growth of industry

NGIA is currently in the process of making a number of exciting improvements in the realm of biosecurity.

At National Conference in Adelaide later this month, the Nursery and Garden Industry Biosecurity Plan will be officially handed over to industry. The plan is part of the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD), in which NGIA is a signatory to.

The EPPRD is a national agreement between industry and government to cover any pest and disease incursions that pose a threat to Australia’s agricultural and horticultural sectors.

As part of the nursery and garden industry’s obligations under the deed it has created a biosecurity plan, which has been recently updated. The plan has all key contacts and actions that will be put in place in the case of an incursion. It also has details of major risks.

Another new development is BioSecure HACCP, an industry specific risk management program for the production sector. This will also be launched at National Conference.

This month’s Nursery Paper, written by Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland (NGIQ) Industry Development Manager John McDonald, talks about the BioSecure HACCP process, what it is used for, and its benefits.

In short, it is a set of guidelines developed by NGIA in partnership with Horticulture Australia (HAL) that will provide a systematic approach for production nurseries to assess their biosecurity hazards and responsibilities, and manage the identified risks.

As the final part of the Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme Australia (NIASA) certification program, a manual outlining BioSecure HACCP is currently being printed as a reference point for growers. Access to this will be available via the state industry development programs after National Conference.

NGIA acting CEO Robert Prince says biosecurity is a critical area for the nursery and garden industry due to the diversity in the range and locality of plants that are produced.

“It is important that all sectors of the industry are up to date with developments regarding biosecurity. Look what happened to the equine industry when it was unprepared for a biosecurity incursion.”