The Foundation supported NSW DPI to undertake a program of activity for biosecurity in the post-border freight and logistics industry. This came on the back of two post-border detections of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) in 2017-18 in NSW. These detections led to a cost-shared emergency response between agricultural industries and government under the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD; PHA, 2018). The ensuing response saw swift and effective 12-month response – risk assessment, fumigation, trapping and monitoring – to prove freedom from the pest.
The incident highlighted the need to understand the level of knowledge, what motivates and demotivates the to report on biosecurity- related risks.
The aim of the project was to improve our understanding of the knowledge and risks of the international post-border supply chain and logistics sector, and make recommendations of improving the sector’s biosecurity engagement.
The project showed clearly that this area requires some more attention to reduce the biosecurity risks to the nation. More information can be found here …