The Western Australian Government has agreed to formally ratify the world’s first Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed (EPPRD) in a bid to create faster and more successful responses to emergency plant pests.

Negotiations on the agreement, coordinated by Plant Health Australia, (PHA) began in mid 2001.

“Plant Health Australia is delighted with the Western Australian Government’s strong commitment to this Deed,” PHA Chairman Andrew Inglis said.

Western Australian Agriculture Minister Kim Chance said the Deed would provide a more responsive, effective and efficient mechanism for governments and industry to work together to reduce the risks and share the costs and responsibility of responding to emergency plant pests.

“A close partnership between government and industry in funding and managing responses to emergency plant pests is a far better and more sustainable alternative to the current informal arrangements,” Mr Chance said. 

Plant Health Australia continues to work with members to achieve a world class, coordinated and effective plant health management system.

The ratification of the Deed will play an important role in achieving this goal as a large percentage of Australia’s commercial plant producers will soon be covered by, and will benefit from, more coordinated and effective emergency response arrangements between industry, state governments and the Australian Government

Under the Deed, funding arrangements are agreed in advance enabling eradication efforts to commence promptly when there is a serious pest outbreak.

Any resulting industry liabilities will be underwritten by the Australian Government and repaid over time through an industry activated Emergency Plant Pest Eradication Levy.

“The EPPRD involves categorising the most serious plant pests for each industry based on the likely environmental, human health, trade, economic and industry impacts,” Mr Inglis said.

“This categorisation process then determines the relative industry and government funding of eradication efforts, based on which sector benefits most from eradicating the pest in question.”

One of the most important elements of the Deed is reimbursement of owner costs which will be paid to producers of affected crops. Owner reimbursement costs will include the costs of destroying infected crops, or other items and activities required as part of a response plan which are above and beyond growers’ normal operational costs.

This will help reduce disincentives to report suspected pest outbreaks thus enabling responses to begin more rapidly – leading to a greater likelihood of successful eradication and lower costs for both industry and government.

The EPPRD is expected to become effective by mid 2005