NSW Farmers is backing calls from NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders to make biosecurity a stronger focus ahead of the federal election, as pests and diseases continue to threaten the multibillion-dollar agriculture sector.
Biosecurity was front of mind for Minister Saunders this week as he attended the Royal Easter Show and urged his federal Nationals counterparts to do more on the critical issue.
Matthew Madden from the NSW Farmers Biosecurity Committee said pushing for biosecurity funding was a key focus for the association, prompting several pre-budget requests for the state government.
"Over the past few years we've seen commitments to biosecurity that haven't really delivered the sustainable funding required for long-term growth and security," Mr Madden said.
"Biosecurity is a perpetual concern given the extreme cost a disease outbreak would carry, as well as the significant trade advantage Australia holds thanks to our relative disease-free status.
"At a state level, investment needs to be made in research and development to find smart and innovative solutions to threats, while at a national level we need a long-term funding model that makes those presenting a biosecurity risk pay."
In recent years, reports on the state of biosecurity operations in Australia have highlighted the need for agencies to better respond to biosecurity risk and for adequate investment in detection systems. The discovery of two live-rooted rose plants at the Sydney Gateway Facility last year carried the risk of introducing Xylella fastidiosa, which was an incurable threat to more than 500 plant species and native plants.
A single disease outbreak could cost billions and would be fatal to the growth of Australian agriculture, Mr Madden said.
"Australia needs to be prepared with a stronger biosecurity system to fight emergent threats in a modern world," he said.
"The recent spread of Japanese encephalitis virus to places it has never been in Australia, namely NSW and Victoria, tells us something about our changing environment and ecosystems - and we need to be prepared for that.
"We have been forewarned by Australia's chief science agency, CSIRO, that a globalised world and a changing climate will present new biosecurity risks, and we absolutely cannot be caught flat-footed on this issue."
NSW Farmers has asked the NSW Government to commit to:
• $25 million in the next year to fund mitigation and preparedness action that ensures primary producers have the capacity to effectively prepare, respond, and recover from incursions of exotic pests and disease.
• $60 million over two years to ensure that biosecurity training, testing, diagnostic tools across multiple commodity areas are both prioritised and delivered.
• $2 million over two years to take a leading role in livestock traceability education, compliance, and costs.
