Australian onion growers now have a manual dedicated to their biosecurity needs, thanks to a levy-funded project and work by Plant Health Australia and Onions Australia.

The manual has been developed around six farm biosecurity essentials that have been tailored to address situations that onion growers can relate to. It includes a biosecurity checklist to help growers assess their work and their businesses against different levels of a set of biosecurity practices, allowing them to incrementally improve their biosecurity preparedness over time.

The manual also uses case studies of biosecurity incursions and responses, like the establishment of white rot or the eradication of onion smut, to illustrate the core principles of biosecurity and reinforce the importance of good biosecurity practices in protecting Australian farms.

Hard copies of the manual have been printed and will be distributed to growers by Onions Australia. Electronic copies are available from the Onions section of the Farm Biosecurity website.

Vegetable and potato growers looking for biosecurity resources can check out the Biosecurity & Crop Protection section of the AUSVEG website, which has a wide range of useful factsheets, templates and guides, including the biosecurity plans that have been developed for the vegetable and potato industries.

This post appeared in the AUSVEG Weekly Update published 22 May 2018. Subscribe to the Update using our online form to receive the latest industry news in your inbox every week!