Vinehealth Australia is working with Biosecurity SA to improve the state’s Phylloxera Outbreak Plan, which will be renamed the ‘Phylloxera Preparedness and Response Plan for SA’.
This new document will feature two components:
- A regulatory response component; and
- An industry preparedness component.
“We know the current outbreak plan needs updating and it’s critical that South Australia is prepared for entry of phylloxera,” said Inca Lee, Vinehealth Australia CEO. “Of course, we’ll continue to do everything in our power to prevent phylloxera entering this state, but biosecurity threats are on our doorstep and we must be prepared.”
The regulatory response component is being created now and a draft is expected to be completed by 31 December 2019. Thereafter, the industry preparedness component will be completed by Vinehealth Australia in conjunction with industry by 30 June 2020.
The regulatory response component aims to deliver a plan that:
- Details a timeline of activities that must be undertaken in the event of a phylloxera incursion;
- Details each regulatory activity, the responsible party and links to associated documents outlining the scope and conduct of each activity;
- Minimises downtime for industry in the event of an incursion by having regulatory documentation aimed at gazetting quarantine areas and describing movement requirements ready; and
- Works in conjunction with the industry preparedness plan to outline how movement decisions are made from a regulatory perspective in times of an active incursion.
The industry preparedness component aims to deliver a plan that:
- Improves accountability at a business level of biosecurity as a risk;
- Focusses on building and assessing ground-level preparedness from a business, regional association and state association level; and
- Focusses on developing strategic industry thinking to address biosecurity preparedness to minimise short and long term effects of an incursion.