People

If it can move, it can carry pests, weeds, and diseases. For this reason it is important to never assume that people know the biosecurity measures and practices you have in place on farm. There are a number of ways of communicating your biosecurity requirements, both before and during a person’s visit to your farm.

Crops

Regularly monitoring crops for the presence of pests, weeds or diseases (e.g. insects, mites, nematodes, pathogens (diseases) and weeds) or associated symptoms increases the likelihood of early detection of unwelcome intruders. Promptly reporting any sightings greatly increases the chances that new pests and diseases can be eradicated before they establish.

Growers, consultants and farm personnel are expected to report any sightings of exotic pests or anything unusual to a State Department Officer or by calling the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881 from anywhere in Australia. Sightings of anything unusual can include unexpected crop failures, abnormally high mortality rates in plants or sudden and unexplained falls in production.

Ratoon and volunteer cotton

Ratoon (regrowth/stub cotton) and volunteer (plants that have germinated and established unintentionally) cotton plants are a biosecurity risk. They harbour pests, carrying them from season to season and providing an inoculum source for early re-infection of the following year’s crop. They are also a potential point of establishment for new pest and disease outbreaks.

Vehicles, machinery and equipment

Vehicles and equipment such as pickers and tractors can carry soil and plant material, particularly weed seeds, to other areas or other farms. Come Clean Go Clean is one of the simplest, yet most effective ways of minimising the spread of pest, weeds and diseases by ensuring vehicles and machinery are arriving onto and leaving farms mud and trash-free.

• Develop a farm biosecurity plan to assess the biosecurity risks associated with your farm and business, and the best actions to mitigate these risks.
• Ensure all farm personnel, consultants, contractors and visitors are made aware of farm biosecurity requirements – clear communication is critical for ensuring your biosecurity plan operates effectively
• Erect biosecurity signs. These signs are a useful tool to remind farm personnel and visitors about biosecurity practices and expectations.
• Monitor crops and fields regularly for signs of pests and disease, particularly any new or unusual insects, weed species or plant symptoms.
• Ensure all farm personnel are aware of the action to be taken in the event if identifying unusual pests or plant symptoms. If you spot anything unusual, call the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline 1800 084 881.
• Remove all cotton volunteers and ratoon plants from all cropping and no-cropping areas to reduce carryover of pests and diseases. Control volunteer and ratoon cotton to minimise the risk of harbouring pests and disease overwinter.
• Consider the risk from and inspect farm inputs e.g. seed, soil amendments, stock feed, and organic fertiliser.
• Practice Come Clean Go Clean. CottonInfo, together with NSW DPI, QDI and the Grains Farm Biosecurity Program developed a best practice 4-step wash down protocol for machinery, vehicles and equipment. This protocol involves the use of an agricultural detergent and decontaminant.

For more information on biosecurity visit the myBMP Biosecurity module.

Technical Lead
Sharna Holman-Buckley: 0477 394 116, sharna.holman@daf.qld.gov.au

Publications

• Biosecurity Plan for the Cotton Industry (Version 4, Sept 2024)
• Cotton Pest Management Guide
• Exotic pest and disease ID guides:
  • Insect ID guide: from endemics to exotics (fall armyworm)
  • Insect ID guide: from endemics to exotics (brown marmorated stink bug)
• Fact sheets
  • CottonInfo fact sheet: Come Clean Go Clean
  • CottonInfo fact sheet: Managing ratoons and volunteers
  • CottonInfo fact sheet: Starting the on-farm biosecurity conversation
  • CottonInfo fact sheet: Checklist for cleaning your picker
  • CottonInfo fact sheet: Biosecurity requirements for moving used cotton machinery and equipment
  • CottonInfo fact sheet: your biosecurity responsibility
• Posters:
  • Come Clean Go Clean
  • Exotic Cotton Pests

Tools

• Template: Biosecurity Management Plan for broadacre industries
• Farm Biosecurity Action Planner (Farm Biosecurity): action planner tool to assess and address biosecurity risks on farm.
• myBMP cotton biosecurity checklist

Videos

• CottonInfo YouTube Channel: Biosecurity Playlist