The recent detection of Myrtle rust in Cairns is a timely reminder to all production nurseries to be diligent in their on farm biosecurity signs and protocols. Pests and contamination can be easily brought onto your property with your production nursery inputs (growing media, plant containers, fertilizer, pesticides, nursery equipment) and plant material. In addition other growers, agronomists, allied traders and others who visit your site are also a potential biosecurity risk.

The Fire Ant Control Centre (FACC) is gaining significant ground against red imported fire ants (RIFA) however the campaign is far from complete. The easier part of the task - wide-scale treatment - is almost over for most of Brisbane.

As of May 2004 the majority of Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA) infested areas have had their final treatment through the application of the approved ant baits. This final treatment is the third such application over these areas and completes the planned baiting program. The project now moves into a full surveillance mode with the expectation that no RIFA will be found over the next two years resulting in pest free status being granted in late 2006.

Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA) has been relatively quite however NGIQ was notified on Tuesday 8 February of a further 3 nest sites in the Rochedale area plus a nest detected in Parkridge. A number of nurseries have had their area freedom status redefined with many falling into the Queensland 2km zone.

Lettuce aphid (Nasonovia ribisnigri) has been recently detected in Victoria (mid May 2005). The first recorded presence of the aphid in Australian was identified in Tasmania during March 2004. The pest had been introduced into New Zealand in early 2002 and it is believed that due to unusual wind patterns the aphid was ‘blown’ across the Tasman Sea in early 2004 establishing in Tasmania in January/February of that year. There have been plant movement protocols in effect since the 2004 detection with host material requiring treatment and certification prior to despatch to the Australian mainland.

Crazy Ant has been detected in south east Queensland at an industrial estate near Caboolture. Thirty businesses have been quarantined with strict movement controls in place.

NGIQ is pleased to advise that the treatment protocols required under the Citrus Canker movement restrictions have been removed for businesses in the 'Rest of Queensland' excluding the two linked nurseries. Whilst the two linked nurseries have been comprehensively inspected, without any detection of canker, they will require a further inspection early in 2005 to provide the interstate authorities with the confidence they demand in declaring pest free status.

It is a demonstrated fact that the movement of live germ plasm (plants) increases the risk of moving plant pests whether a disease (bacterial, viral, fungal, etc) or insect. The nursery industry is going to come under greater scrutiny in the future particularly as we appear to be increasing the detection rate of exotic pest incursions throughout Australia. As a result of the experiences with the recent Citrus canker outbreak and the expected exposures to exotic plant pest incursions in the future DPI&F have amended the Plant Protection Act 1989.

Recent information from the Department of Natural Resources & Mines (DNR&M) on the distribution of the Lantana bug (Aconophora compressa) suggests that populations are on the increase. The lantana bug was released in 1995 by DNR&M as a biological control for the invasive weed Lantana. Up until 2003 the bug had quietly worked away without causing any undue impacts outside its expected host range (lantana).

The recent detection of Citrus canker on a citrus orchard in the Emerald area has created a significant amount of upheaval throughout the nursery and citrus industries over the past month and a half. NGIQ has dedicated considerable time, effort and money into representing industry at various forums (state & national) as well as endeavouring to keep the Queensland nursery industry informed. The general outcomes for our industry have been worth the effort however the timeline these results were delivered in is somewhat questionable.

The activity and hype over the recent incursion of Citrus Canker has died down to a more than manageable level. With the DPI&F Biosecurity Section diligently working away at the infested property, near Emerald, over these past weeks it has been confirmed that all known host material has been removed from the farms production system. After removal from the field all plant material has been burned on site including stumps and roots physically dug from the ground. The cost, to the farm, of this disease incursion is in the millions of dollars with over 250 000 citrus trees having to be destroyed.

Following on from the information provided in the May edition of Leaflet I would like to provide further detail on the overall strategy of our industry national biosecurity plan. This plan is going to be agreed to by industry and government (national & state) and therefore have formal recognition between all stakeholders.

Biosecurity is a term that has risen in prominence over the past three to four years in Australia at industry and government level. It is a word that will probably end up being one that falls into the category of ‘overuse’ in the not to distant future however this should not detract from its importance to all ag/hort businesses.

The Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Board (ACDC) has approved (pursuant to section 16 of the Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966) the holding of the following qualifications as an alternative to the passing of the examination for a commercial operator's licence under the Act.

The NGIQ have been notified of a new exotic pest incursion into Queensland. The recent detection of a nest of Tropical Fire Ants - Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius) in a southern suburb of Brisbane has the nursery industry under pressure again. The Tropical Fire Ant is closely related to the Red Imported Fire Ant – Solenopsis invicta (Buren) and is a native ant species of North America. The pest has been in the Northern Territory for some years and is also believed to exist in the Kimberly area of Western Australia. The Tropical Fire Ant was identified in south east Queensland in 2002 and eradicated at that time.

The exotic insect pest Spiraling whitefly (Aleurodicus disperses) has been in Australia for a number of years first being detected in 1997 in the Cape York area followed by Cairns in 1998.