Pests, weeds & diseases

Pests, weeds and diseases pose a serious risk for primary producers as they can impact on market access and agricultural production.

To reduce the impact of pests, weeds and diseases, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development:

  • works with landholders, grower groups, community groups and biosecurity groups.
  • provides diagnostic services and information on prevention, management and treatment.
  • provides biosecurity and quarantine measures to prevent introduction, and to eradicate or manage current pests.

For advice on pests, weeds and diseases search our website, the Western Australian Organism List or contact our Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS).

For diagnostic services, please contact our Diagnostic Laboratory Services.

Articles

  • 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.

  • Myrtle rust is a serious disease that infects and kills many plants belonging to the Myrtaceae family including eucalypts, bottlebrushes, paperbarks and peppermint trees.

  • It is illegal to feed meat, meat products and food that has been in contact with meat to pigs in Australia.

  • There are two main forms of footrot in sheep and goats: virulent and benign. Both forms are caused by the bacterium Dichelobacter nodosus.

  • Pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV1) is a contagious viral disease affecting pigeons. It was first detected in Australia in 2011 and is present in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.

  • The Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS) provides advisory and identification services on animal and plant pests, weeds and diseases that impact Western Australia's agriculture and food ind

  • Papaya sticky disease is absent from Western Australia. It has recently been reported from the Northern Territory, after being detected in Queensland in 2014.

  • Blueberry rust is a fungal disease that affects blueberries and some relatives in the Ericaceae plant family. The disease was detected in Western Australia in April 2022.

  • Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) is a declared pest in Western Australia. It can significantly reduce crop yields in potatoes and tomatoes.

  • The Australian plague locust is a declared pest under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007.

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