Australian Quarantine Review Secretariat Australian Quarantine a shared responsibility

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10.2 PRINCIPLES

The fundamental principles for effective preparedness for and response to incursions of exotic pests and diseases are:

· a nationally coordinated approach, involving governments, industry and the general public;
· agreed lists of pests and diseases of concern;
· early detection (including both public awareness and effective field services);
· known reporting lines;
· ability to confirm that an agent is an exotic pest or pathogen of concern (i.e. diagnostic capacity);
· agreed mechanism for decision making;
· agreed plans of action (contingency plans); and
· resources for implementing the contingency plans and ensuring a prompt response.

10.3 NATIONAL COORDINATION

Preparedness for and response to animal health emergencies such as incursions of exotic pests and diseases are coordinated nationally by a specific unit in the Commonwealth Department of Primary Industries and Energy — the Animal Diseases/Incidents Section (formerly called the Foreign Diseases Unit). This ensures that preparedness and response strategies are coordinated nationally, and provides a core of experienced and well-trained staff to assist in the management of incursions. In late 1995, a one-person Plant Protection Unit was established within the Crops Division of the Commonwealth Department of Primary Industries and Energy with similar functions to the Animal Diseases/Incidents Section, although the precise roles of this Unit have yet to be defined.

10.3.1 Industry Involvement

The high dependence of the Australian beef, sheep and dairy industries on maintaining and improving animal health status to ensure continued access to premium export markets has led to a strong appreciation of the importance of maintaining this privileged status. In general, animal industries have tended to have a greater commitment to the need for developing sound preparedness and response capacities than have plant industries. The far larger number of subsectors and more varied range of enterprises in plant industries have compounded this tendency by leading to a significantly more diverse and fragmented plant sector in comparison with the relatively small range of livestock subsectors.

Probably because of their appreciation of the need to maintain and improve animal heath status to maintain ready access to major export markets, the livestock industries have traditionally been very ready to cooperate with governments on developing preparedness and response strategies for exotic pests and diseases. Successful nationally coordinated campaigns against former significant endemic animal diseases such as contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, bovine tuberculosis, and bovine brucellosis in the cattle industry have demonstrated the value of government–industry cooperation through joint policy development, funding and implementation. This approach has more recently been extended to joint development of preparedness and response strategies against exotic pests and diseases of animals — initially through the Exotic Animal Disease Preparedness Consultative Council (EXANDIS) and most recently through AAHC (see Section 9.6.1). With a few notable exceptions (see Section 10.5.3), there has not been such a tradition of government–industry cooperation in the control or eradication of pests and diseases of plants, nor in a joint partnership approach to developing preparedness and response strategies against exotic pests and diseases of plants.

10.3.2 EXANDIS

In 1989, the Government established EXANDIS as a joint government–industry advisory group to raise the level of preparedness for exotic pests and diseases of animals. EXANDIS identified the need for more effective links between government and industry, a national approach to training, and an effective national response plan. EXANDIS also provided independent advice to the Minister on exotic disease control policy, and oversaw expenditure from a special trust account. EXANDIS concluded its activities in mid-1995, when responsibility for maintenance of exotic disease preparedness was passed to AAHC (see Section 10.3.3). One of the major achievements of EXANDIS was the development of the Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan for Exotic Animal Diseases (AUSVETPLAN) — a comprehensive emergency response plan for exotic pests and diseases of animals (see Section 10.5.1).

10.3.3 Australian Animal Health Council

Australia's new peak animal health body, AAHC, is a non-profit company with government and industry shareholders (see Section 9.6.1). It was established as the national point of reference for strategic policy development and national program funding. Greater involvement of industry is consistent with the partnership approach advocated in this Review (as discussed in Chapter 2). However, not all animal industries are represented in AAHC. For example, fisheries and aquaculture are significant omissions, and the Review Committee supports the inclusion of aquatic animals in AAHC.

The AAHC Animal Disease Preparedness Task Group was formed in 1996 to develop strategies to maintain the nationally coordinated approach to exotic animal disease preparedness developed by EXANDIS, facilitate the application of AUSVETPLAN-based contingency planning to other animal health emergencies (e.g. endemic diseases or residue problems), and provide advice on management and budget requirements. It is also charged with developing options for extending contingency funding arrangements that cover 12 major exotic pests and diseases (see Section 10.5.1) to include 'all animal health situations that have significant effects on commercial performance'.
The AAHC Animal Health Services Task Group was formed in 1996 to outline current requirements and likely future changes in animal health-related policies and regulations affecting market access, and document consumer concerns about animals and animal products from an animal health and welfare perspective. It is charged with comparing essential service requirements with current animal health services in Australia and those of our trading partners and international competitors. It will thus define the outcomes and programs needed to satisfy future market requirements, estimate the total animal health services required to deliver these programs, and present options on how to provide these services.
The Review Committee was impressed by the potential of AAHC to provide significant long-term improvements to animal health in Australia. It notes that AAHC sits well with the Report's principle of developing ownership of the continuum of quarantine through a partnership approach involving stakeholders in policy formulation and program implementation. There is no organisation like AAHC to ensure similar government–industry liaison and cooperation on plant health issues. However, the Review Committee believes that a similar organisation offers significant opportunities for improving preparedness and response strategies for exotic pests and diseases of plants. An Australian Plant Health Council (APHC) is urgently required, as recommended in Section 9.6.2.

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