GREENS call for ban on nz apples & pears at Launch of Biosecurity Policy

"Securing Australia's borders from invading species of animals, plants and insects must become a top priority of the Federal and Tasmanian governments," Greens Leader Bob Brown and Greens Senate Candidate Christine Milne said today in Hobart at the launch of the Australian Greens Biosecurity Policy.

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Emily Harris
med...@tas.greens.org.au
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Tuesday, 21 September 2004

"Billions of dollars have been ploughed into securing our borders from terrorism with increased risk assessment, intelligence services, weapons and sky marshals while a budgetary and policy blind eye has been turned to the ignored and unseen invaders destroying Australia's biodiversity and eating into agricultural products and profits," Senator Brown said.

"Risk assessment is a critical factor in protecting Australia from biological invaders and the community has lost confidence that the current biosecurity arrangements prioritise protection ahead of trade. Australia's entire biosecurity arrangements need overhauling and new legislation introduced," Ms Milne said.

"The Greens support the apple and pear growers around the nation in their assessment that they have been shafted. Demonstrated mistakes in the risk assessment relating to the proposed import of apples and pears from New Zealand underscore this lack of community confidence. The Greens support a total ban on the importation of apples and pears from New Zealand because of the unacceptable risk of fireblight," Ms Milne and Senator Brown agreed.

Nationally the situation is worsening with cane toads now in Kakadu, fire ants having crossed the Brisbane River, and the mosquito carrying Japanese encephalitis, its habitat range extended as a result of global warming, moving south towards Cape York.

"Tasmania also is under attack from hitchhiker species from lettuce aphids at Devonport to foxes in Campania, mosquito fish in the Tamar, weed infestation in the World Heritage Area and an unknown cause of disease in Tasmanian Devils.

"We need to restrict existing pathways and identify new pathways into the country by focussing on pre-border controls and increase technological surveillance of shipping containers, ballast in hulls, soil on tents, shoes and golf clubs. The invitation of other invasive species through nurseries and pet shops also has to be revoked," Ms Milne said.

"A more stringent national biosecurity strategy, with an emphasis on a National Preventative Framework for Invasive Species must be developed, funded, implemented and enforced in consultation with the States so that across the country there is consistency in law and in enforcement," Senator Brown said.

"It is ridiculous that different State jurisdictions prevent Tasmanian quarantine officers, for example, from acting on the Melbourne wharves to prevent foxes hitching a ride on container ships.

"Equally silly is the Northern Territory government encouraging planting of buffle grass while the Commonwealth pays Greens Corps to pull it out.

"Tasmania's whole clean, green future depends on securing our environment and in the Senate I intend to make invasive species a key issue," Ms Milne said.

"The first legislation I will introduce if elected is an amendment to Schedule 5 of the Quarantine Act/Quarantine Proclamation 1998 to close the loophole which permits the legal import of up to 4000 weeds," Ms Milne said.

"With global estimates suggesting that 20% of all species will be extinct in the wild by 2050 and with habitat destruction and invasive species exacerbated by climate change being identified as the main driver for this extinction, it is imperative that Australia acts immediately on climate change, securing our borders from alien invasive species and protecting our habitat," Senator Brown concluded.

Attachment: 'Getting Rid of the Pests', Biological Security for Australia,
Australian Greens policy highlights

Contact: Emily Harris 0409 898 564

Katrina Willis 0419 704 095 (Senator Brown)

Getting rid of the pests
Biological security for Australia
Australian Greens policy highlights

September 2004

Bumblebees, cane toads, rabbits, gorse, northern Pacific sea stars, rubber vine, fire blight, carp, foxes, buffle grass, European wasps, lantana, starlings, serrated tussock, fire ants, goats, lettuce aphid, Indian mynahs, prickly acacia, Ross River virus, blackberries, crazy ants, boneseed, feral pigs...

Exotic pests and diseases cost agriculture, threaten Australia's wildlife, and endanger human health. As trade and travel increase, unwanted pests and diseases spread around the world ever more rapidly. Global warming exacerbates the problems. The cost of weeds alone to Australian agriculture is over $4 billion a year.

Biosecurity is the exclusion, eradication or effective management of risks from pests and diseases to the economy, environment and human health. Australia's legislation, institutions and approach are fragmented and outdated. The Greens aim to protect Australia's disease-free status and unique flora and fauna by making biosecurity a top priority.

Prevention instead of reaction

Australia's key legislation is the 1908 Quarantine Act, supplemented by other acts such as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. It is high time for a complete overhaul and new national legislation to provide a coordinated and coherent approach, giving priority to prevention.

Consolidate the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service and Biosecurity Australia in a single agency with new legislation, an accountable minister and increased funding. It should have overall national responsibility for biosecurity, including risk assessment, management, education and communication, both pre and post border.

Prepare a National Preventative Framework for Invasive Species, focusing on prevention instead of reaction. This will prohibit the import of invasive species not yet present in Australia, control national trade and movement of invasive species already here, and provide for statutory national invasive species action plans.

Harmonise federal and state responsibilities to overcome the lack of uniformity and different levels of control, so that bans and controls in one state are not undermined by weaker provisions in other states.

Immediately close the loophole in the quarantine law which makes it legal to import over 4000 known agricultural and environmental weeds, including Weeds of National Significance.

Implement a five-year moratorium on the release of genetically engineered organisms into the Australian environment for trial or commercial purposes.

Make protecting Australia's biodiversity from alien invasive species a central component of Australia's curriculum development response to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, beginning in 2005.

Involve the community in tackling biosecurity threats.

Biological security before trade

Globalisation is a double threat to Australia's biological security. Trade agreements pressure governments into compromising safe trade, and the sheer volume of goods moving around the world increases the risk of hitchhiking pests and diseases entering Australia.

Reject the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement, which threatens Australia's scientifically based quarantine decision-making processes. US producers intend to use Committees set up under the AUSFTA to sidestep our quarantine controls and expand their exports of vegetables, fruit, pork and poultry to Australia, threatening our disease free status.

Expand the WTO rules regarding quarantine and border controls, so that threats to biological diversity are considered, together with the agriculture and human health concerns already allowed.

Reinforce scientific assessment as the basis for quarantine decision-making rather than trade. The precautionary principle should underpin decisions.

Oppose the import of New Zealand apples and pears because of the demonstrated unacceptable risk of introducing fire blight.

Tackle global warming

Warmer temperatures caused by global warming will extend the range of diseases like malaria and Ross River virus. The impact of pests and diseases already in Australia will also change, for example by extending the season of warm weather pests.

Reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 as part of a global effort to reduce emissions to near-zero by 2100.

More information:
Katrina Willis, 02 6277 3170, 0419 704 095

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