Biosecurity & quarantine

The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) works with primary industries to safeguard our agricultural resources from biological threats and to maintain our export opportunities.

The State’s reputation is underpinned by a comprehensive biosecurity and quarantine system, developed and operated by DAFWA.

DAFWA is involved with:

  • creation of surveillance and diagnostic programs
  • animal and plant risk assessments
  • importing and exporting requirements
  • creating mechanisms to respond to incursions
  • livestock movement and identification
  • development and maintenance of biosecurity and quarantine legislation.

To find out more about what we do to protect agricultural production and export opportunities within the State please search our website.

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Articles

  • codling moth affected apples and moth

    Codling moth: declared pest

    11 April 2014

    Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) is a serious pest of apples and other pome fruit and has the potential to cause severe crop losses.

  • Dothistroma needle blight disease banner

    Dothistroma needle blight: declared pest

    23 January 2020

    Dothistroma needle blight (Dothistroma septosporum) causes needle loss, slow growth and sometimes death in many types of pine and some related conifers.

  • Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) damages to apple trees

    Fire blight: declared pest

    15 August 2022

    Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) is a serious bacterial disease of apples, pears and other plants in the rose family (Rosaceae). This disease is not present in Western Australia.

  • Glassy-winged sharpshooter adult and nymphs

    Glassy-winged sharpshooter: declared pest

    16 September 2022

    Glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) is a sucking leafhopper known to be a vector to bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which causes various serious plant diseases.

  • spongy moths and caterpillars

    Spongy moth: declared pest

    15 September 2022

    The larval stage of Spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) is a severe defoliator of a wide range of broadleaved trees and shrubs. This pest is not present in Western Australia.

  • Foot-and-mouth disease lesions in the mouth of a Nepalese cow. These lesions are about five days old.

    Foot-and-mouth disease: prevention and preparedness

    5 March 2014

    Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of Australia’s greatest biosecurity risks.

  • Kneeling sheep. Advanced footrot is a painful, crippling condition.

    Managing virulent footrot in sheep and goats in Western Australia

    17 February 2015

    There are two forms of footrot in sheep and goats: virulent and benign. They are caused by infection with different strains of the bacterium, Dichelobacter nodosus.

  • Banana freckle disease symptoms

    Banana freckle: biosecurity alert

    18 October 2013

    Banana freckle was detected in Dwarf Cavendish banana fruit in the Northern Territory in May 2022. The Northern Territory Government is responding to this new detection.

  • Trucks about to load cattle at a saleyard ramp

    National livestock standstill - frequently asked questions

    5 March 2014

    A national livestock standstill is when it is nationally agreed that specific livestock species affected by an emergency disease must not be moved.

  • Truck transporting sheep off a property

    National livestock standstill for foot-and-mouth disease

    11 December 2013

    Following diagnosis or strong suspicion of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), state and territory governments will implement a livestock standstill across Australia, including in unaffected regions.

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