Khapra beetle threatens export markets for Australia’s plant industries
Australia
Published Aug 18, 2021
Tridge summary
Khapra beetle has been detected at Australian ports. Exporters and importers must be vigilant against this pest. The Australian Government is taking action to prevent khapra beetle from establishing in Australia. Khapra beetle is a serious, highly invasive insect. It poses a major threat to Australia’s primary production, biosecurity and environment. Khapra beetle is a pest of grains, dried fruit, rice and nuts. It also stows away as a hitchhiker on a wide range of cargo.
Original content
Infestations have been found in commodities including refrigerators, packaging for baby highchairs and plastic beads. There have been several recent detections of Khapra beetle at Australian ports. They were found in products from Southeast Asia. Importers need to be vigilant for container contamination to prevent Khapra beetle and other pest incursions. Australia is currently free of khapra beetle. This is important for our agricultural sector for two reasons: Freedom from khapra beetle makes Australia a preferred exporter to other khapra beetle-free countries. Our khapra beetle-free status is integral in maintaining access to international markets. Seven of our top 10 grain markets are free from khapra beetle. Australia may lose or have restricted access to these markets if khapra beetle is established domestically. The Australian Government is taking action to minimise the risk of khapra beetle entering Australia. It is implementing these urgent actions in phases. The actions ...
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