Welcome to the October edition of Tendrils, where once again I’m excited to share new developments and company news from the past month.

Last month, I travelled with our Board to Perth, Western Australia for Board Meeting 116.  Discussions centred around our strategic direction, planning for the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the five-year review of the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) in 2025, the enactment of the Primary Industries (Excise) Levies Bill 2023 in 2025, as well as briefings on new and ongoing incidents including Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit virus (ToBRFV), Varroa destructor, and banana freckle. Whilst in the west, we took the opportunity to visit Hyde Park to observe the national response being led by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) to Polyphagous shothole borer. We also visited InterGrain’s Bibra Lake facility gaining insight into their breeding programs, and took a first-hand look at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s (DAFF) Fremantle’s cargo and maritime port’s current pest surveillance operations.

One of the critical issues we’re closely involved in, is the detection of ToBRFV in South Australia.  There have been important updates on trade restrictions recently to control and contain the disease. Industry representation is key in any biosecurity response and when a party is unrepresented in discussions and decision (in this case tomatoes) it creates challenges for the Affected Parties and the impacted unrepresented Party. Dr Lucy Tran-Nguyen, General Manager: Partnerships and Innovation, attended the Hydroponic Farmers Federation and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action’s (DEECA) ToBRFV Growers Information Day at AgriBio in Melbourne two weeks ago to discuss the implications and next steps. We’ll be sharing more on this soon, particularly any developments that may affect our stakeholders and partners.

I’d like to congratulate Sharon Starick on her recent appointment as the new Chair of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) where her leadership will be invaluable as the grains industry continues to evolve. I’d also like to welcome Shauna Chadlowe as the new CEO of the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (CISS), who brings a wealth of experience to the role and will undoubtedly drive impactful strategies to manage the increasing threat of invasive species. PHA has a strong working relationship with CISS through the Biosecurity Collective and the Decade of Biosecurity (DoB) having collaborated on the CSIRO Biosecurity Futures report. Published in 2020, the report describes the transformation necessary to prepare Australia for biosecurity resilience through setting nationally coordinated goals across the One Health spectrum (human, agricultural, environmental and marine health sectors). Australia’s biosecurity resilience is built on system connectivity, shared responsibility and innovation in science and technology, all of which we are proud to be a part of and deliver to our members and more broadly.

This month also marks the 19^th birthday of the EPPRD, a crucial pillar of Australia’s plant biosecurity framework. In our role as custodian, PHA works with signatories to ensure responses involve shared decision making in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, as well as driving progressive improvements to ensure it continues to meet signatories’ needs.  Since ratification, PHA Members have provided significant in-kind support and an investment of over $160.2M in successful national eradication programs for 15 Emergency Plant Pests including citrus canker, brown marmorated stink bug, cocoa pod borer, banana freckle, khapra beetle, seasonal incursions of exotic fruit flies in the Torres Strait, and Varroa jacobsoni. This figure continues to rise with further investments in the transition to management for Varroa destructor, active nationally cost shared responses such as banana freckle, and the yet to be determined investment for ToBRFV.

PHA’s team is growing and I’m happy to announce two new staff members joined us in October. Welcome to Conrad Roux, People & Culture Coordinator, and Linda Couch, IT Service Management Coordinator. Read more about them in the Staff movement section of Tendrils.

We also have some exciting career opportunities, which will be of interest to those passionate about plant biosecurity and the agricultural sector. I encourage anyone interested to explore these roles and apply.

Looking ahead, I’m pleased to share that I will join a panel discussion on the future of agricultural technologies and biosecurity at the AgriBiotech & Biosecurity Summit on Thursday, 31 October. It’s an exciting opportunity to share plant biosecurity insights and network with industry leaders.

Finally, I’d like to thank all of you for helping us grow our community. We’re now connected with more than 7k professionals on LinkedIn, we have 3k followers on X (formerly Twitter), 1k fans on Facebook, and our Instagram following is gaining traction. If you haven’t already, get social with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We use these social platforms extensively to share company news, aspects of the biosecurity system, industry events and spotlight our Member industries and governments.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and commitment to plant biosecurity.