Yesterday, the Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment issued a statement in relation to the possible impact of Khapra Beetle that could cost Australia $15.5 billion.

The statement, released yesterday (13 August), was titled ‘Notification of planned urgent actions for Khapra Beetle’ and was issued to recipients of international mail and other stakeholders including importers.

“Within the next two months, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment will implement urgent actions to address the risk of Khapra Beetle (Trogoderma Granarium) on high-risk plant products that are hosts of this pest.

These urgent actions are considered necessary because:

–   The global spread of Khapra Beetle is increasing and it is being detected on a wide range of plant products and as a hitchhiker pest on containers, from places where khapra is not known to occur.

–   Khapra Beetle is a significant threat to Australian plant industries, including the grain export industry.

–   Khapra Beetle destroys grain quality making it unfit for human or animal consumption. Stored products also become contaminated with beetles, cast skins and hairs from larvae, which can be a human health risk.

–   If Khapra Beetle enters Australia it would have significant economic consequences. An outbreak could cost Australia $15.5 billion over 20 years through revenue losses arising from reduction in production and exports.

The urgent actions will be applied to the following plant products (in various raw and physically processed forms for any end use), which have been identified as high-risk:

Rice (Oryza sativa)

Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum)

Cucurbit seed (Cucurbita spp; Cucumis spp. and Citrullus spp.)

Cumin seed (Cuminum cyminum)

Safflower seed (Carthamus tinctorius)

Bean seed (Phaseolus spp.)

Soybean (Glycine max)

Mung beans, cowpeas (Vigna spp.)

Lentils (Lens culinaris)

Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Coriander seed (Coriandrum sativum)

Celery seed (Apium graveolens)

Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea)

Dried chillies/capsicum (Capsicum spp.)

Faba bean (Vicia faba)

Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan)

Pea seed (Pisum sativum)

Fennel seed (Foeniculum spp.)