Recent trends in plant quarantine policy in Australia and New Zealand and their implications for forestry

Abstract

Reviews have recently been conducted independently by Australia and New Zealand into various aspects of their plant quarantine policy and practice. Quarantine policy trends in the two countries are similar, being shaped largely by the same pressures and demands, both external (e.g., international moves towards trade liberalisation) and internal (e.g., financial stringencies). A key issue that has emerged from these reviews, and the most controversial, is the assessment of "acceptable risk" by means of bio-economic analysis. Such an approach must be extremely conservative when considering the interests of industries such as forestry because of the disproportionate impact the introduction of exotic pests and pathogens may have on forests and forest products, the special difficulties of early detection and control of such organisms, and the paucity of data on which to base risk assessment. Other issues of relevance to forestry are the establishment of databases on pests and diseases, pre-clearance, area freedom, privatisation of quarantine premises, "multiskilling" for border inspections, community consultation in policy formulation, and the promotion of public awareness of quarantine.