Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, upon notice, on 14 January 2013:

(1) On how many occasions in the past 5 years have yellow crazy ants been intercepted at the Australian border.

(2) Does the department have an annual summary document detailing interceptions of exotic organisms, including numbers, species, locations and countries of transport origin; if so, can copies be provided for the past 3 years, from 2009 to 2012.

(3) Does AQIS have a list of exotic species that are regarded as high priority threats to the environment to target for interception; if so, can a copy be provided.

(4) Over the past 3 years, how many interceptions have there been of species regarded as high priority threats to the environment, including the name and number of each species.

(5) What particular, if any, surveillance operations does AQIS have in place for exotic species that are regarded as high priority threats to the environment.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the senator's question is as follows:

(1) The yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) has been intercepted at the Australian border on 40 occasions in the past 5 years. Interceptions by region are: Queensland, 23 occasions; Western Australia, 9 occasions; Victoria, 4 occasions; New South Wales, 3 occasions; Northern Territory, 1 occasion.

(2) No.

(3) The department has the list, Australia's most unwanted, which targets ten species that are considered high priority threats to Australia's biosecurity: the Asian gypsy moth, Asian longhorned beetle, Asian tiger mosquito, black spined toad, burnt pine longicorn beetle, formosan termite, giant African snail, giant honeybee, khapra beetle and the lesser auger beetle. With the exception of the Asian tiger mosquito and khapra beetle, the rest could be considered threats to Australia's environment.

(4) Interception details of the ten species listed on the DAFF list of Australia's most unwanted are as follows:

Asian gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, intercepted 23 times in the past three years.

Asian longhorn beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, intercepted once in the past three years.

Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, intercepted 11 times in the past three years.

Black spined toad, Bufo melanostictus, intercepted 25 times in the past three years.

Burnt pine longicorn beetle, Arhopalus ferus, intercepted 58 times in the past three years.

Formosan termite, Coptotermes formosanus, intercepted eight times in the past three years.

Giant African snail, Achatina fulica, intercepted 94 times in the past three years.

Giant honey bee, Apis dorsata, intercepted 12 times in the past three years.

Khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium, intercepted two times in the past three years.

Lesser Auger Beetle, Heterobostrychus aequalis, intercepted 152 times in the past three years.

(5) The department conducts seasonal and ongoing surveillance of targeted exotic pest species that pose a high priority threat to Australia's biosecurity.

Seasonal surveillance operations conducted by the department include:

Asian gypsy moth targeted flight season; which targets vessels arriving from ports in the far east of Asia. During the annual flight season from 1 July to 30 September, the exotic Asian gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is attracted to the bright lights in these ports and settles on vessels at the loading docks. Vessels leaving these ports are a known risk pathway for the potential introduction of this pest into Australia. DAFF risk assesses these vessels prior to arrival and if required an inspection is performed of the vessel for the presence and eradication of the Asian gypsy moth.

Burnt pine longicorn beetle targeted flight season; which targets vessels arriving from ports in New Zealand. Each year the Ministry of Primary Industries New Zealand (MPI NZ) advises DAFF of the flight season of the burnt pine longicorn beetle (Arhopalus ferus) which lasts from November until April. This exotic forestry pest is known to take shelter amongst sawn and manufactured timber products during the flight season. While no immediate damage is caused to imported timber commodities, the association of burnt pine longicorn beetles with these commodities creates a possible pathway entry into Australia. Vessels entering Australia from New Zealand during this flight season are actively targeted for the presence of burnt pine longicorn beetles.

Ongoing surveillance operations conducted by the department include:

Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) program; DAFF runs the NAQS program which monitors the northern region of Australia from Broome to Cairns for targeted pests, weeds and disease through surveillance and quarantine operations.

DAFF Country Action List (CAL) and Risk Vessels; DAFF targets a range of high risk pests and other contaminants (such as soil) on imported sea containers and non-containerised (breakbulk) cargo. High risk pests include the giant African snail, black spined toads, exotic bees and ants. Containers from countries listed on the CAL are inspected prior to release from the terminal.

Khapra beetle country and commodity specific list; DAFF targets countries and commodities where the exotic khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium) is known to occur. If established this beetle would have serious consequences for Australia's grain storage industry and jeopardise our export grain markets. Commodities that are host material for the khapra beetle are inspected to ensure that the threat from any potentially insect infestations is eliminated.

Mosquito vector monitoring program; DAFF monitors for exotic disease-carrying mosquito species at the perimeters of all Australia's ports of entry for international vessels and at Australia's international airports. Monitoring involves trapping of larvae and adults, and identifying them to detect exotic disease-carrying species.

National Sentinel Hive program; DAFF works closely with State and Territory agriculture authorities and representatives from Australia's honey bee industries to monitor air and sea ports around Australia for feral and exotic bee species that could arrive on vessels or airplanes. The National Sentinel Hive Program maintains hives at seaports around Australia that are inspected regularly for feral and exotic bee species, as well as several species of mites, including varroa and tracheal mites.