Varroa Mite

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:04): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister update the council about the recently endorsed SA Varroa Detection Response and Transition to Management Plan?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:05): I thank the honourable member for his question. South Australia's preparedness for the possible incursion of varroa mite and its future management has taken the next step, as the South Australian Varroa Detection Response and Transition to Management Plan has been approved and is now available publicly.

I am pleased to update this place about the recent endorsement of the varroa transition to management plan by the South Australian Varroa Industry Advisory Council (SAVIAC). As I have discussed in this place previously, the exotic bee pest varroa mite, or varroa destructor, was detected in hives in the port of Newcastle in New South Wales on 22 July 2022 as a result of routine surveillance on the sentinel hives. Varroa mite is considered the greatest biosecurity threat to both Australia's honey bee industry, which is valued at some $437 million per annum, and Australia's agricultural and horticultural honey bee pollination-dependent industries, where the economic value of honey bee pollination is estimated at some $14 billion per annum.

Last year, members of the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP) agreed nationally that, despite best efforts, the position had changed and varroa mite eradication was no longer considered technically feasible and that the response should shift to a transition-to-management program. As a result, I authorised the establishment of the South Australian Varroa Industry Advisory Committee (SAVIAC). The members who served on this committee were:

Mr Don Plowman, chair of SAVIAC;

Ms Monica du Plessis from the Beekeepers' Society of South Australia;

Mr Peter Mew from the Beekeepers' Society of South Australia;

Mr Tony Tenney from the South Australian Apiarists' Association;

Mr David Campbell from the South Australian Apiarists' Association;

Mr Danny Le Feuvre from the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council; and

Mr Keegan Blignaut, a member nominated as a representative of large commercial beekeepers.

This committee represented a good cross-section of the apiary sector and ensured that the development of a transition-to-management plan was representative of all stakeholders.

The South Australian Varroa Detection Response and Transition to Management Plan was developed by SAVIAC to prepare beekeepers for varroa and respond to its detection within South Australia, should that occur in the future. The main aim of the plan is to assist the apiary industry, including both commercial and recreational beekeepers and pollination industries, to prepare for the possible eventual establishment of varroa in South Australia in order to:

maintain freedom from varroa for as long as is achievable, whilst balancing business continuity;

once detected in South Australia, to minimise the impact of varroa; and

to provide business continuity through a risk-based approach.

I have previously spoken in this place about the number of department staff recruited to assist in the ongoing response and I am pleased today to update the council on this. I am advised that there are now three varroa development officers, along with a coordinator, who have now commenced at PIRSA and will be dedicated to assisting beekeepers to develop skills and knowledge necessary to prepare for and manage varroa.

The varroa development officer team will be working closely with industry in metropolitan Adelaide and our regions. Their services are freely available to all apiarists, regardless of registration status or apiary association affiliation. I want to emphasise that varroa has not been detected here in South Australia, but it is of course incredibly important that we are prepared for if and when it does.

The South Australian Varroa Detection Response and Transition to Management Plan can be found on the PIRSA website. I want to take this opportunity to thank all members of the advisory committee who have represented the apiary sectors extremely well and have worked closely and together across the various aspects of the apiary industry and with government in developing this plan.