Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Drought, disaster and rural support
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Levies and charges on agricultural products
    • Mouse infestation advice
    • Plant health
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Report a concern
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Plant Innovation Centre
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We enhance our agricultural industries and trade, and manage the threat of biosecurity risks to Australia.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Budget 2025-26

    Budget 2025-26

    The 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statements were released on 25 March 2025.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Biosecurity
  4. CAB

Sidebar first - Biosecurity

  • Biosecurity
    • Catalysing Australia’s Biosecurity
    • Biosecurity 2030 Roadmap
    • Sustainable biosecurity funding
      • Proposed Biosecurity Protection Levy
    • Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper-Biosecurity Surveillance and Analysis
      • Improving biosecurity surveillance and analysis
      • Forum Communique-July 2017
      • Australian Livestock Industry Health Studies
    • Biosecurity Matters
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Domestic travel
      • International travel
      • Online shopping
      • Recreational fishing
      • Bushwalking
      • Owning pets
      • Boat owner
      • Long distance driver
    • Committees and partnerships
      • Sustainable Biosecurity Funding Advisory Panel
      • Industry Consultative committees
      • International Cargo Cooperative Biosecurity Arrangement
      • Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme
      • National Biosecurity Committee
        • National Biosecurity Forum
          • Previous forums
        • National Biosecurity Emergency Preparedness Expert Group
        • Sheep and Goat Traceability Task Force
        • State and territory biosecurity roundtables
        • Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity
          • Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity Review
            • 2024 Independent Review
              • Consultation
            • 2017 Independent Review
          • Protocol on biosecurity data and information sharing between the Commonwealth, State and Territory biosecurity agencies
          • National Surveillance and Diagnostics Framework
          • National Transition Program Policy Framework
          • National Biosecurity Engagement and Communication Framework
          • National Framework for the Management of Established Pests and Diseases of National Significance
        • National Biosecurity Response Team Arrangements 2017-2019
        • National Environment and Community Biosecurity Research, Development and Extension Strategy 2021-26
        • National RD&E Priorities for Invasive Plants and Animals 2016-2020
      • Northern Australia Biosecurity Framework
        • Northern Australia Biosecurity Framework Reference Group
      • Partnerships in biosecurity
        • MOU Agriculture and Health
      • National Biosecurity Statement
        • Communication and Engagement Strategy
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
      • Aircraft
        • Aircraft disinsection
          • Aircraft Disinsection Information (ADI) and Import Relationship and Access Manager (iRAM)
          • Aircraft Disinsection Information (ADI) and Import Relationship and Access Manager (iRAM) support
          • Aircraft disinsection procedures for flights into Australia and New Zealand
        • Aircraft application form
        • Arrangements for aircraft invoking sovereign immunity
        • Guidelines for airline and aircraft operators arriving in Australian territory
        • Landing places determined as first points of entry for aircraft
      • Vessels
        • Australian registered vessels
        • Biosecurity legislation and the Australian territory
        • Commercial vessel biosecurity reporting
          • Cabotage cargo (fertiliser, grain and stockfeed)
          • Release from biosecurity control
          • Ship sanitation certification
        • Cruise vessels
        • Disembarking crew
        • First points of entry – information for arriving vessels and goods
        • First points of entry and non-first points of entry
          • Alternative biosecurity entry point application form
          • First points of entry - seaport operator requirements
        • Human health
        • Marine pest biosecurity
          • Ballast Water
            • Australian Ballast Water Management Requirements
            • Ballast Water Authorisation
          • Biofouling in Australia
            • Australian biofouling requirements
            • In-water cleaning in Australia
            • International relations
            • Biofouling resources
            • Non-commercial vessel biofouling
        • Maritime and Aircraft Reporting System (MARS)
          • MARS communications and training materials
          • MARS offline forms
        • Non-commercial vessels
          • Accredited suppliers list for termite detection services
          • Importing vessels with timber components frequently asked questions
          • Importing vessels with timber components
        • Offshore installations
          • Offshore Installations Biosecurity Guide
        • Plants and insects
          • Burnt pine longicorn beetle - person in charge questionnaire and statement
        • Pratique
        • Reportable biosecurity incidents
        • Waste recycling
      • Military
        • Australian Defence Force
          • Cleaning instructions - Personal equipment
        • Visiting military
          • Essential biosecurity information for military forces
          • Foreign government vessels invoking sovereign immunity
        • Cleaning requirements
        • Military frequently asked questions
        • Military vessels
        • Offshore inspections of military equipment
        • Ration packs
      • Transhipping through Australia
        • Transhipped ship’s stores lodgement cover sheet
    • Biosecurity in Australia
      • Biosecurity Advanced Analytics Capability
      • Detector dogs
      • Innovative Biosecurity 3D X-ray Project
      • Modernising Australia’s approach to managing established pests and diseases of national significance: Discussion paper
      • Northern biosecurity
        • Aquatic pest biosecurity community awareness
        • Biosecurity-it’s everyone’s business virtual reality experience
        • Country Handle with Care - Costa and dirtgirl Tackle Biosecurity
        • Frontline-northern biosecurity’s community song
        • Avian influenza awareness – Keep a TopWatch!
        • Lumpy skin disease awareness – Keep a TopWatch!
        • Rabies Awareness - Keep a Top Watch!
        • Report a pest, weed or disease in Northern Australia
        • You can be a Biosecurity Champion too!
          • Developing industry and supporting local growers
      • Indigenous Ranger Biosecurity Program
        • Northern Australia Indigenous Biosecurity Ranger Forum
        • Northern Australia Indigenous Rangers Biosecurity Round Table
        • Biosecurity Business Grants Program
        • Ranger Capability Building Grants Program
        • Frontline Ranger Newsletter
      • Northern Australia Biosecurity Strategy 2030
        • The Northern Australia People Capacity and Response Network (NAPCaRN)
      • Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS)
        • Co-operative biosecurity in northern Australia
        • Aircraft arriving on the Australian mainland from Torres Strait
        • NAQS target pests, diseases and weeds
        • Moving goods to, from and within Torres Strait
        • Significant events in the history of NAQs
          • Celebrating 30 years of co-operative biosecurity in northern Australia
          • Commemorating 25 years of NAQS
        • Shipping and yachting in the Torres Strait
        • Map of NAQS zones
      • Public awareness and education
        • Australian biosecurity webinar series
        • Detect and Protect podcast
          • Series 1 - How our biosecurity system works
          • Series 2 – Detector dogs
        • Australian Biosecurity Awards
          • Current Australian Biosecurity Award recipients
          • Past Australian Biosecurity Award recipients
        • Pacific engagement
          • Exporting to Australia from the Pacific
          • Working together with our Pacific neighbours
          • Australia's biosecurity system
          • Inside the department
            • Meet the team
          • Your local authority
        • Be a Junior Biosecurity Officer
          • Activities for kids
          • Teacher resources on biosecurity
        • Visual resources
      • Reform of the biosecurity system
        • Biosecurity Training Centre
        • Industry Partnerships and Engagement
      • Reports and publications
        • 2008-12 Imported cargo processing, a DAFF time release study
        • Biosecurity Matters Newsletter
        • Australian Quarantine a shared responsibility: The Nairn report
          • Australian Quarantine a shared responsibility: The Government response
      • Pest and disease surveillance at Australia’s borders
      • Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area Biosecurity Strategy
    • Biosecurity research and innovation
      • Biosecurity Innovation Program
      • How we work with you
      • Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis
      • Innovation Ideas initiative
      • Innovation Pilots Initiative
      • Biosecurity Innovation Exchange 2018
    • Import risk analyses
      • Import request
      • Conducting an import risk analysis
        • Appropriate Level of Protection
        • Australia’s international biosecurity obligations
        • Roles and responsibilities in an import risk analysis
        • Scientific Advisory Group
      • Animal import risk analyses
        • Review of prawns and prawn products
          • Background: prawn and prawn products review
          • Prawn imports and biosecurity
          • Submissions received on the Review of prawns and prawn products – draft report
          • Submissions received on Australia’s current prawn import policy
        • Cooked turkey meat from the United States
          • Cooked turkey meat from the United States - Commencement of a review
        • Cooked duck meat from Thailand
        • Dairy products for human consumption
        • Fish and fish products for use as pet food and stockfeed
        • Hatching eggs of poultry
        • Import of live sturgeon for aquaculture
        • Natural sausage casings
        • Psittacine birds
        • Egg powder from approved countries
        • Zoo bovids from approved countries
      • Plant risk analyses
        • Plant commodity/country and pest risk analyses
        • How we conduct a plant risk analysis
      • Group pest risk analyses
        • Group pest risk analysis for scale insects
          • Draft report fact sheet
        • Group pest risk analysis for thrips and orthotospoviruses
          • Draft report
          • Fact sheet
          • Final report
        • Group pest risk analysis for mealybugs
          • Draft report
          • Draft report fact sheet
          • Final report
          • Final report fact sheet
      • Biological control agents
        • Risk analyses
          • Completed Risk Analyses
          • Current Risk Analyses
        • Host test lists
        • Protocol for biological control agents
      • Weed assessments
        • Development of the Weed Risk Assessment system
        • Weed risk assessments frequently asked questions
        • Reasons for the Weed Risk Assessment system
        • The Weed Risk Assessment process
          • Weed Risk Assessment system
      • Biosecurity Import Risk Analysis guidelines
      • Centre of excellence for biosecurity risk analysis
      • Biosecurity advices
      • Register as a stakeholder
    • Emergency preparedness and outbreak response
      • Exercises
        • Exercise Volare (2024)
      • Maintaining good animal welfare outcomes in an emergency animal disease outbreak
      • National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement review
        • NBC approach to the NEBRA five year review recommendations
      • Horse Disease Response Levy review
      • Wildlife Exotic Disease Preparedness Program
        • Feral animals as hosts of exotic disease: Identification of potential disease contact between feral animals and sites of exotic disease incursion
        • Avian Influenza Viruses in Migratory Shorebirds and Nomadic Water Fowl in South Australia
        • Avian Migration and Movement pathogens in the Australo-Papuan context
        • AWHN OIE Report 2004
        • AWHN OIE Report 2005
        • Destroy and Let Lie Disposal Project
        • Development and Validation - Newcastle Disease
        • Field Surveillance and Monitoring - Leishmania in the Northern Territory
        • Final report: preparing Australia by preparing Papua New Guinea
        • GIS Mapping Software in National Surveillance Database
        • Identifying and Mapping Hendra virus
        • Identifying and Mapping Hendra Virus (2)
        • Identifying and Mapping Hendra Virus Strain Diversity (Stage 1)
        • Improving the Relevance and Efficiency of Wild Bird Surveillance for AI
        • Reservoirs of Infection: The Epidemiological Characteristics of an Emerging Pathogen
        • Summary Report - Contraceptives Pigs
        • Summary Report - pigs disease spread
    • Animal
    • Plant
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Environmental biosecurity
      • Managing Environmental Biosecurity
        • How we engage
        • First Nations
        • Research and innovation
      • How the system works
      • Exotic environmental pests
        • The Environmental Biosecurity Project Fund
        • Priority list of exotic pests, weeds and diseases
          • Technical information about the Exotic Environmental Pest List
          • Higher-risk exotic environmental pests
    • Biosecurity questions and answers
    • Legislation
      • List of Biosecurity Preparedness Plans
      • List of Goods That May Carry Hitchhiker Pests
      • The Biosecurity Act 2015
        • Updates to information sharing provisions
        • Changes to import requirements
        • Introduction to the Biosecurity Act Interactive Learning tool
        • Reviewable decisions
      • Reportable biosecurity incidents
        • Reportable biosecurity incidents form
      • Compliance and enforcement
        • Biosecurity Compliance Plan 2016-17
        • Biosecurity Compliance Statement
        • Compliance and enforcement tools
        • Redline - report a biosecurity breach
        • Export and import laws and the role of the department
        • Infringement Notice Scheme
          • Infringement notices at the airport
          • Other infringement notices
    • Fees and charges
    • Forms
    • Coronavirus
      • Food and agriculture
      • Exports
      • Imports
      • Domestic animals

Catalysing Australia’s Biosecurity (CAB)

 

CAB is a major collaborative initiative led by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

CAB was launched at the 2024 Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Outlook event.

CAB will convene Australian biosecurity experts to enable, investigate and support innovative biosecurity solutions to deliver a more robust, resilient, and digitally-enabled biosecurity system by 2030.

CAB is working with governments, industry and the community, to support the DAFF Biosecurity 2030 roadmap and achieve outcomes in the National Biosecurity Strategy.

The goal is to improve long-term, national biosecurity outcomes by delivering innovative technologies, digital systems and capabilities that transform our system performances by 2030.

CAB will work with a broad range of stakeholders across the biosecurity system to deliver tools and technologies and become more responsive to new and emerging threats and system challenges. 

Areas of focus

CAB work will span animal, plant, and environmental biosecurity work, including research and innovation from offshore to on-farm.

Our goal is to improve long-term national biosecurity outcomes by delivering innovative technologies, digital systems and capabilities that transform performance.

CAB will focus on:

  • Detection and diagnostic technologies and platforms. Activities focused on understanding, detecting, and diagnosing priority exotic pests and diseases.
  • Intelligence gathering platforms. Activities where biosecurity needs intelligence-based data to deal with threats and define better markets of trade.
  • Intervention technologies. Any tool of technology needed to intervene or mitigate a real or potential biosecurity impact from on-farm to national level response, including sovereign vaccines, antimicrobials and associated biomanufacturing, novel biocontrol, and biopesticides.
  • Decision support systems and modelling platforms. Activities supporting preparedness and emergency response, including supporting scenario planning, national response capability exercises and real-time outbreak responses.
  • Social-economic support. Activities supporting effective and integrated human aspects of shared responsibility and effective governance across the system. 
  • Performance assurance mechanisms. Activities that enhance evaluation and monitoring (cost effectiveness and success analysis) and mechanism to test the performance of the system and assure progress is on target.

Collaboration

CAB is seeking foundation partners across the biosecurity sector. We are aiming to catalyse technology development, innovation, and adoption across Australia's complex biosecurity system. Collaborating with all Australian biosecurity stakeholders will be critical to achieve our goal. This includes state and territory governments, private sector and industry, non-government organisations, universities, research institutes and community members. 

We will be holding information sessions for external stakeholders in the coming months.

Current projects

BeeRight

Varroa mite a danger to honeybees across the globe. In response to the recent outbreak, CAB is leading a partnership to detect varroa mites using BeeRight technology.

Members of this partnership include:

  • Australian Capital Territory Government
  • Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
  • University of Canberra
  • CSIRO
  • Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

BeeRight technology is an Internet of Things (IoT) solution that can be set up in any hive without damaging the hive or bothering the bees. More information on the project is available in our BeeRight Press Release.

Lumpy Skin Disease

Australia is free from lumpy skin disease (LSD) and has never had an incursion of the disease.

CAB will invest significantly to prepare for emergency animal diseases such as lumpy skin disease. See more information regarding lumpy skin disease.

CAB partners

  • Council of Rural Research & Development Corporations
  • Agriculture Innovations Australia
  • Plant Health Australia
  • Animal Health Australia
  • Centre for Invasive Species Solutions
  • Invasive Species Council
  • Wildlife Health Australia

Video: Catalysing Australia's Biosecurity

Speaker 1: Thanks to our strong biosecurity system, Australia is free from many of the world's most damaging pests and diseases. This system protects over $50 billion dollars in tourism, our $73.5 billion-dollar agricultural sector, 1.6 million Australian jobs across the supply chain, Australia's $6.5 trillion dollars’ worth of environmental assets and our way of life.

Speaker 2: In an increasingly connected world, the threats and impacts from pests, weeds and diseases are growing. It is estimated that invasive species currently cost Australia around $24.5 billion dollars a year. Outbreaks abroad highlight the impact on agriculture, people movement and business activities. Certain biosecurity threats are already being felt in Australia. Future incursions could damage our way of life. The possibility of incursion is always present. We cannot be complacent.

Speaker 1: We need to evolve our biosecurity system to address the growing threats and impacts of pests, weeds, and diseases. CSIRO and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry are working together, with government, industry and the community, to support the Commonwealth Biosecurity 2030 roadmap and the National Biosecurity Strategy. Our goal is to improve long-term National biosecurity outcomes by delivering innovative technologies, digital systems and capabilities that transform performance by 2030.

Speaker 2: We will do this by working with a broad range of stakeholders across the biosecurity system to deliver tools and technologies that enable rapid pest and weed detection and identification, on-farm disease diagnoses and step change our capacity to prepare for and respond to incursions and reduce existing impacts.

Speakers 1 and 2: Together, we are Catalysing Australia’s Biosecurity.

Related information

Australia has one of the strongest biosecurity systems in the world, free from many of the world's most damaging pests, weeds and diseases. But in an increasingly connected world, the threat to Australia from the impacts of these biosecurity risks continues to grow.

We need to evolve our biosecurity system to address these threats to protect over $50 billion in tourism, our $73.5 billion agricultural sector; 1.6 million Australian jobs across the supply chain and Australia's $6.5 trillion worth of environmental assets and our way of life.

The impact of incursions will be significant. It is estimated that invasive species currently cost Australia around $24.5 billion a year. This estimate does not include the ripple-effect of environmental impacts on jobs and our way of life.

For example, the direct economic impact of a large, multi-state outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could reach $80 billion over 10 years. While, if the exotic khapra beetle became established it could cost our economy $15.5 billion over 20 years.

CAB will look for data-driven innovative solutions with partner agencies to address these threats.

CAB will support and enable innovative science and technology solutions to build a stronger biosecurity system as required by the National Biosecurity Strategy.

The strategy identifies Australia’s need to develop “a risk-based system underpinned by science that protects Australia’s people, our environment and economy from the biosecurity threats of today and tomorrow”.

It also highlights the important role of technology, research, and data in enabling this goal.

Together with government, industry, universities, community, and First Nation partners, we are looking to collaborate and invest in innovative science and technology outcomes.

By working together, we aim to deliver an integrated, secure, data-driven, and technology-enabled biosecurity system for Australia.

In its report Value of Australia’s biosecurity system (unimelb.edu.au) the Centre of Excellence in Biosecurity Risk Analysis has estimated that a fit-for-purpose biosecurity system would provide $314 billion worth of benefit to Australia over the next 50 years.

The Australia's Biosecurity Future report provides a transformational vision for a resilient biosecurity system in 2030, and outlines what needs to happen to get there. It focusses on the pressing need to transform rather than just scale up the current system.

See also

  • Australia’s Biosecurity Future: Unlocking the next decade of resilience - CSIRO
  • Fighting Plagues and Predators - CSIRO
  • Atlas of Living Australia – Open access to Australia’s biodiversity data (ala.org.au)
  • National Research Collections Australia - CSIRO

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip
Page last updated: 08 November 2024

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI

© Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram