Australia is free from many exotic plant pests and diseases found elsewhere in the world, reflecting the strength of our biosecurity system. However, global trade and travel create pathways for these threats to enter the country, making early detection and intervention critical.
Detector dog teams play an important role in Australia’s biosecurity efforts. Working across airports, seaports and international mail centres, they help identify biosecurity risk material in traveller luggage, mail, vehicles, machinery and equipment. Their scent detection capabilities enable them to locate items such as rootstock, plant cuttings and seeds that may be undeclared, concealed or otherwise difficult for biosecurity officers to find. Detector dogs have even detected a single Brown Marmorated Stink Bug inside backpacks and luggage carried by unsuspecting travellers.
By helping to prevent the entry of exotic pests and diseases, detector dog teams support Australia’s plant health, protect agricultural and horticultural industries, and help preserve the natural environment.
In this video, former Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer Dr Gabrielle Vivian-Smith (now the Australian Chief Environmental Biosecurity Officer) explains the vital role detector dog teams play in safeguarding Australia from exotic plant pests and diseases.
[Video begins]
I’m Gabrielle Vivian-Smith and I’m the Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer.
[On screen] Why are biosecurity controls, and particularly detector dogs, important for Australia's plant biosecurity?
Australia doesn’t have many exotic plant pests and diseases that are present elsewhere in the world, and that’s because of our excellent biosecurity system. But we’re always at risk of these pests and diseases entering Australia.
The Detector dogs are a really important and crucial line of defence in our Biosecurity system. And that’s because they’re mobile, they’re versatile and they’re specific.
[On screen] What plant diseases are we protecting Australia from, and how could they impact our way of life?
There’s literally thousands of plant pests and diseases that we’re protecting Australia from.
They range from Moko disease of banana, plum pox on stone fruit, Xylella which effects grapes, almonds, olives and a bunch of other different plant species.
These plants pests and diseases can come in on a variety of different ways or pathways as we call them. They can come in on the roots of plants, they can come in on seeds, in fruits and on leaves as well, they can also come in as a contaminating pest, in containers, in machinery and equipment.
So we’ve got to look out for a whole lot of different things and the detector dogs really help with that.
[On screen] How do detector dogs intercept risk material that could be harbouring these diseases?
Detector dogs are trained to detect 9 different odour groups. This translates to more than 200 different commodities risks.
And when they find one these odours, they alert their handler and the risk can be quickly managed, and the pests prevented from entering and establishing and spreading in Australia.
[On screen] Why are detector dogs key in managing the risk of plant pests and diseases in Australia?
Detector dog’s are really versatile. They can be deployed with their handler to airports, to seaports and to the mail centre.
They play a key role in detecting hard to find items like root stock, plant cuttings and even seeds which can be hidden away inside mail packages.
The detector dogs are really one of the few tools that we have to efficiently detect seeds.. making them an essential part of Australia‘s front-line biosecurity capability.
[Video ends]
