Issue 9 | May/June 2024

Registrations now open for Virtual ADSW 2024!

The Virtual Annual Diagnostics and Surveillance Workshop (ADSW) 2024 will be held on Wednesday, 5 June 2024, from 11.00am AEST.

The virtual event will feature presentations from experts across the plant biosecurity spectrum who will share their knowledge and address topics over two sessions:

• Session 1 - Surveillance (commences at 11.00am AEST)
• Session 2 - Diagnostics (commences at 12.30pm AEST) 

Register your place via the button below to receive your Microsoft Teams meeting invitation. Registrations close on Friday, 31 May 2024. 

For more details, please email the PSNAP coordinator at psnap@phau.com.au. 

The National Plant Biosecurity Diagnostic and Surveillance Professional Development and Protocols Projects are coordinated and delivered by Plant Health Australia and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The objectives of the Projects are to enhance and strengthen Australia’s diagnostic and surveillance capacity and capability to identify priority plant pests that impact on plant industries, the environment, and the community. 

Data protocols update request form added to the PSNAP website

A data protocols update request form has been added to the Plant Surveillance Network Australasia-Pacific (PSNAP) website. The form can be used to notify the National Surveillance Protocol Working Group (NSPWG) to implement a protocol update when a new surveillance method becomes available, which is not yet reflected in the controlled vocabulary list of a protocol.

Approved surveillance methods for a pest or pest group are detailed in a National Surveillance Protocol (NSP), with the valid data fields to record the surveillance defined by the associated NSP Data Protocol, which is derived from the Pest Record Specification (PRS) and associated controlled vocabularies.

The PRS is a flexible set of nationally endorsed data fields for plant health surveillance which have associated controlled vocabularies defining the content that may be selected in a field.

The form allows members to formally request updates to PRS fields, as well as data protocol fields and/or controlled vocabulary in NSPs. Completed forms will be submitted to the NSPWG for consideration and to implement the suggested updates.

For more information about the form, please email the NSP coordinator at nspcoordinator@phau.com.au.

Pictured: A schematic representation of the National Surveillance Protocols and Pest Record Specifications that are used to develop a surveillance program data standard to support consistent and effective surveillance activities and data capture.

Register for Australian workshop: DNA Barcodes for the Top End

The Australian workshop: DNA Barcodes for the Top End is a free event supported by the Southern eDNA society.

The workshop aims to prioritize the DNA barcodes needed to fully realize the benefits of DNA-based monitoring in the Northern Territory. Participants will engage in discussions to identify the uses, needs, and benefits of DNA-based monitoring and the terrestrial and aquatic fauna best suited for these purposes.

The agenda includes:

• case studies on the uses and benefits of eDNA monitoring
• review of DNA barcode libraries collected thus far
• identification of future DNA barcoding needs
• quantification of the effort involved from organism to barcode.

Date: Thursday, 6 June 2024
Venue: The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Auditorium
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm (AEST)

Visit the website for more information.

Careers in surveillance

Visit the careers page on the PSNAP website to keep up to date with current job and PhD scholarship advertisements. 

The following job opportunities are currently being advertised:  

• Various vacancies at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.   

About the Network

The Plant Surveillance Network Australasia-Pacific (PSNAP) enables members to communicate and share skills in plant pest surveillance. It acts as a coordination point for surveillance professionals and practitioners to strengthen surveillance capacity and capability across Australia, New Zealand and the nearby region. 

The National Plant Biosecurity Surveillance Professional Development and Protocols Projects are coordinated and delivered by Plant Health Australia and are funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.