AUSTRALIA | Over 2.5 million sea containers arrived in Australia in the 2023-24 financial year, up 4.7 percent on the previous year.
A workshop in Fiji this month will seek to strengthen biosecurity in the Pacific by developing a new strategy to manage risks associated with sea container movements.
The strategy aims to reduce the global spread of hitchhiker pests across the Pacific via the sea container pathway.
These include the giant African snail, whose voracious appetite threatens crops and other plant life, and the Formosan termite, one of the world’s most destructive termites, both detected in shipments to Australia in October.
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Deputy Secretary for Biosecurity, Operations and Compliance Justine Saunders said the workshop would promote heightened biosecurity and further regional trade.
“Our region relies on trade via sea containers, but we need to ensure we can safely and responsibly develop our trade between nations and not allow the spread of pests and weeds,” said Saunders.
“A new strategy will help strengthen the biosecurity capabilities of the Pacific for sea container pathways, including those to and from Australia and other Pacific Island countries and territories.
Saunders added that it would reduce biosecurity risks for agricultural industries within the region, supporting the preservation of pest status and food security.
Once implemented, the strategy could lead to faster border clearances and reduced costs for commercial sea cargo industries.
The workshop will also explore ways to automate sea container hygiene as part of the digitalisation of cross-border trade.
The event will bring together representatives from Pacific Island countries and territories, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the World Bank Group, and commercial sea cargo industries for the Pacific Strategy for the Sea Container Pathway Workshop in Nadi, Fiji.
The Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the World Bank Group have funded the event.
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