FROM THE EXECUTIVE
From the Executive...
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The beetle is not currently present in Australia, and if it spreads it would pose a major threat to Australia’ s grains and other plant industries like almonds.
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Alan Hoppe, ABA Chairperson and Tim Jackson, ABA CEO
Alert over khapra beetle detection
The Commonwealth, along with state and territory governments, is responding to a detection of khapra beetle( Trogoderma granarium) in imported goods. All goods associated with this shipment are being traced and will be secured and treated to ensure they do not pose an ongoing biosecurity risk. Khapra beetles can cause some skin irritation and can be allergenic, but do not pose an immediate risk to human health in this context. Australia maintains a pest free status for khapra beetle. There has been no change to Australia’ s trade status. The beetle is not currently present in Australia, and if it spreads it would pose a major threat to Australia’ s grains and other plant industries like almonds. More information is available at agriculture. gov. au / pests-diseasesweeds / plant / Khapra-beetle / interceptions
Biosecurity – Xylella One of the biggest biosecurity threats to the Australian almond industry is a disease called Xylella. The ABA attended an all-day national preparedness planning exercise in Mildura this month which was designed to get out ahead of any detection.
In A Nutshell- Spring 2025 Vol 26 Issue 3
An expert from Spain gave a detailed overview of the issue and challenges. If it is detected, destroying trees within a 50m radius of a detection is the Spanish response at the moment. Part of the day featured a mock scenario where Xylella was discovered in an almond orchard near Mildura. The hypothetical situation allowed key stakeholders to play out their roles of the initial response in front of a 60-strong crowd of biosecurity experts from across Australia and NZ. It is hoped that a plan to tackle Xylella is never implemented, but given the challenges faced since varroa mite was discovered in June 2022, the need for all stakeholders to be prepared for such an event was not lost on us. The ABA will be circulating more information on this disease to ensure growers stay alert and report any suspicious looking abnormalities to the appropriate agency. The planning day was convened by the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative. Given the costs of these incursions, being as well informed and educated can only help in making decisions that protect the industry.
Biosecurity contributions DAFF and Plant Health Australia are reviewing the Emergency
Plant Pest Response Deed and the Biosecurity Emergency Response Arrangements, which will focus heavily on costs. It was noted that in the past 10 years there has been 38 incursions against the deed at an average cost of $ 15.7 million each, while in the previous 10 years there had been only six at an average cost of $ 1.7 million each. The affordability of incursions is on everyone’ s radar. More to come on this space, but we will be participating in a biosecurity forum in Canberra in November.
Marketing The ABA hosted celebrity chef Poh Ling Yeow in Malaysia last month. The main purpose of the tour was to raise the profile of Australian almonds in this new market by utilising Poh’ s profile. ABA marketing manager Melissa Wyness and marketing officer Tom Cooper accompanied Poh on the trip where five episodes of the Network 10 series Farm to Fork were filmed. Poh generated all the dishes and filming went late in the night most days as they made the most of the location. One of the highlights was a dinner for key almond buyers at the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Mel and Tom were surprised at