Biosecurity

Australia has one of the strongest biosecurity systems globally, however international trade, people movement and natural mechanisms (such as wind) means there is an ongoing risk of exotic plant pests entering the country. Biosecurity is everyone's responsibility - growers, consultants, industry members and the broader community. Cotton growers play a key role in protecting Australia's plant industries from exotic and endemic pests, weeds and diseases by implementing sound biosecurity measures and the immediate reporting of suspected exotic pests on-farm.

Legislation under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015, QLD Biosecurity Act 2014 and other relevant Australian state and territory legislation supports biosecurity management as a shared responsibility.  This means that everyone working or visiting farms are responsible for managing biosecurity risks that are under their control, that they know about or should reasonably be expected to know about.

The myBMP Biosecurity module highlights simple practices you can implement in your day-to-day operations to reduce the biosecurity risks to your farm and business. Implementing strong biosecurity measures on your farm will help protect your business, region and the broader industry from the introduction and spread of pests, weeds and diseases and the consequences these incursions could have on your business through potential impacts on yield, quality, increased management costs and market access.  

Did you know?  Greater levels of trade and travel are creating opportunities for pests, weeds and diseases to enter and spread across Australia. Between 2012-2017, the annual interceptions of biosecurity risk materials at Australian borders rose by 50% to 37,014 interceptions. Weeds cost Australia around $5 billion annually in control measures and lost production.