Strengthening biosecurity & crop protection for Aussie growers
AUSVEG undertakes a number of extension projects in the biosecurity and crop protection space. These projects aim to improve the management of pests and diseases across the vegetable industry and increase the quality and quantity of resources available to Australian vegetable growers.
Our core focuses include biosecurity, sustainable production, and integrated pest management solutions.
AUSVEG also publishes ‘The Front Line’, a biosecurity bulletin to keep industry up to date with the latest biosecurity news, including upcoming workshops and events, research and development, and pest and disease alerts.
Biosecurity
Biosecurity provides a mechanism for the vegetable industry, government, and other relevant stakeholders to actively determine pests of high priority, analyse the risks they pose and implement procedures to reduce the chance of pests becoming established.
AUSVEG is involved in a number of extension projects with a core biosecurity focus. These include:
Completed projects:
- Building Biosecurity Capacity and Resilience within the NSW Vegetable Industry
- MT20005 – Management Strategy for serpentine leafminer (Liriomyza huidobrensis)
- MT16004 – RD&E Program for control, eradication and preparedness for Vegetable Leafminer – 2017 – 2020
- MT16018 – National Tomato potato psyllid (TPP) Program Coordinator
- Boosting Diagnostic Capacity for Plant Production Industries
- AUSVEG Peri-Urban Biosecurity Pilot Program
- ST16010 – iMapPESTS: Sentinel Surveillance for Agriculture download the wrap-up report
Pest management solutions
Pest management involves agrichemical, cultural and biological control for pests and diseases. Read more about crop information here.
AUSVEG Biosecurity & Engagement team
National Manager – Biosecurity & Extension
Zarmeen Hassan
Zarmeen brings a wealth of experience across industry and the private sector to her work leading AUSVEG’s science and extension projects, including from previous roles with global organisations like Monsanto, FrieslandCampina, Reckitt Benckiser and Coca-Cola.
Zarmeen has extensive leadership experience, holding multiple roles managing teams and projects across a wide range of disciplines, including agriculture, marketing, communications, business and policy development.
Recently, she has spent time in Pakistan to develop transformative solutions for the agricultural sector, working with multiple stakeholders from industry, government, finance, growers, academia and donor agencies to forge public private partnerships for the development of the agriculture sector.
VegNET National Coordinator
Cherry Emerick
Cherry Emerick is the National Coodinator of VegNet, the levy-funded national extension project for the vegetable and onion industry. Previously, Cherry was Project Officer for the AUSVEG extension component of the Hort Innovation-funded project Management strategy for serpentine leafminer, (Liriomyza huidobrensis) (MT20005).
Cherry has also has been the Senior Project Officer at the North Queensland Dry Tropics Natural Resource Management (NRM) on the Landholders Driving Change project, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role, including an understanding of northern agriculture.
Cherry has previously held the position of Industry Development Officer in North and Far North Queensland and been a part of a national farming company with the last position held as an Operations Manager.
Engagement with local, state, and federal government has allowed her to build strong relationships over the years.
VegNET Support Officer
Emily Corbett
Emily Corbett grew up on her family's apple orchard in the Yarra Valley, where she developed a strong connection to agriculture and a firsthand understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by growers.
As a horticulture agronomist specialising in plant nutrition, Emily is passionate about connecting growers with the information, research, and industry resources they need to make informed decisions on-farm. In her role supporting the VegNET program at AUSVEG, she works closely with regional teams, industry stakeholders, and researchers to help coordinate extension activities and ensure the program delivers valuable outcomes for vegetable and onion growers across Australia.
Emily enjoys acting as a bridge between research and practice, helping ensure valuable information reaches growers in a practical, accessible, and relevant way to support a productive and sustainable vegetable industry.
Project Administration Support Officer
Carol Knight
Carol re-joins AUSVEG as Project Administration Support Officer for the VG22004 Program – Vegetable Industry Biosecurity and Business Continuity Strategy.
Surveillance Coordinator
Ava Dorri
Ava Dorri joined AUSVEG as Surveillance Coordinator for the VegWatch Program – Vegetable Industry Biosecurity and Business Continuity Strategy.
She supports surveillance activities for vegetable industry biosecurity programs, including implementing surveillance models, coordinating trapping and sample collection, and analysing surveillance data to support the early detection and monitoring of plant pests.
Biosecurity Officer
Zara Burney
Zara Burney joins AUSVEG as the Biosecurity Officer, supporting biosecurity preparedness and best management practices across Australia's vegetable, potato, and onion industries.
In her role, she works closely with growers and industry stakeholders to deliver extension activities and support the adoption of on-farm biosecurity practices. Zara is passionate about horticulture and supporting growers to build productive, resilient, and sustainable farming businesses.
Extension Support Officer
Maya Wallens
Maya Wallens brings a background in agricultural science to her role as Extension Support Officer. Coordinating onion-related extension activities as part of the Onion Extension Program, she works closely with onion growers across the country to extend support and resources to production regions.
She is also involved in the Addressing Herbicide Resistant Ryegrass project (MT25001), aiming to bring alternative management practices and control strategies to growers to aid informed decision making.
Maya’s growing network is reinforcing her goal of bringing timely support and relevant outcomes to the onion industry.