A group of passionate South Australian fruit and vegetable industry representatives have met to discuss ways of improving biosecurity communication in SA, with the ultimate aim of protecting growers.
Organised by Biosecurity SA, the meeting involved PIRSA, Vinehealth Australia, Apple and Pear Growers SA, Citrus SA and AusVeg.
“While the industries vary in their outputs, biosecurity is a shared challenge,” said meeting coordinator Christina Cook, Project Manager at Biosecurity SA.
“There are enormous benefits for both ourselves and industry by working together to promote common biosecurity messages and collaborate as a group to maximise impact.”
Some of the biosecurity materials Vinehealth Australia has worked hard to produce in the past year are seen as a benchmark, and may be used as a base for other industries.
The group also discussed ways of reaching biosecurity risk creators outside of their industries, including utility suppliers and tourists. “We also discussed ways of simplifying biosecurity information for our farmers and growers,” said Christina.
Vinehealth Australia will continue to work with this group to deliver outcomes for South Australian vineyard owners, particularly across areas of shared risk, such as prevention of Australia’s number one exotic plant pest risk, Xylella fastidiosa.