Hitchhiker pest program

This project aims to make sea containers less attractive to hitchhiker pests and reduce soil and plant contamination. To facilitate this research, we are conducting a comprehensive survey and examination of current sea containers in circulation, focusing on identifying potential refuge locations for hitchhiker pests. These areas include the under the floor, external undersides, vents, and various ports.

Improving sea container design will reduce pests and contaminants entering Australia. This will make it easier and more efficient for governments and industry to manage container movements at ports. This will reduce costs and provide more certainty. The research will help create an international standard for sea containers.

This project also has connections to the Partnering with industry, government and researchers focus area.

This project aims to foster collaborative partnerships with interested National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPOs) and industry participants. The goal is to establish pre-border agreements with partner nations to reduce the global spread of hitchhiker pests through three main focus areas:

1. Establish collaborative pre-border arrangements with interested NPPOs and industry participants, including:
   • providing capacity building support
   • reducing the number of hitchhiker pests on the external surfaces of fully loaded containers. As well as the internal and external surfaces of empty containers.
2. Development of a broader Pacific region sea container management strategy. The strategy aims to enhance biosecurity, enhance trade relationships, promote capacity building, and mitigate risks associated with container movements.
3. Participate in and contribute to the International Plant Protection Convention's (IPPC) Sea Container Focus Group discussions on developing global strategies for managing global sea container risks.

This project also has connections to the Partnering with industry, government and researchers focus area.

This project aims to provide enhanced assurance of the effectiveness of biosecurity treatments applied to manage the risk of hitchhiker pests offshore.

The Offshore Treatment Provider Assurance Program primarily refers to two bodies of work:

1. Implementation of Austreat – a new offshore treatment provider assurance scheme and
2. Development of an Offshore Treatment Assurance Framework (OTAF).

Austreat will be a government to industry scheme that will provide us with a mechanism to regulate offshore biosecurity treatment providers across a range of target pests, treatment types, commodities and countries and will not be specific to one type of pest.

OTAF will be a framework that describes how we manage offshore biosecurity treatment providers, including through the use of Austreat.

Austreat is required to establish a mechanism to gain assurance over a wider range of offshore biosecurity treatment providers. Current pest and treatment specific schemes create complexity and duplication for industry and us. Increased offshore assurance reduces the biosecurity risk reaching the border.

OTAF is required to ensure a consistent and considered approach to manage offshore treatment providers across different pathways and assurance schemes.

Learn more about our existing offshore treatment provider schemes.

This project also has connections to the Partnering with industry, government and researchers focus area.

This project is the cornerstone of the Hitchhiker Program. It aims to enhance existing biosecurity controls to better manage hitchhiker pests and contaminants on or in sea containers.

The project will be delivered over multiple tranches. The first of these will focus on external risk management of sea containers and include:

• Reviewing the current Country Action List (CAL) by using a risk assessment and interception data to classify overseas CAL ports into high and medium risk.
• Developing and implementing policy to support a new Approved Arrangement (AA) to allow Biosecurity Industry Participants (BIPs) to conduct external container inspections on containers from medium risk CAL ports. Note: Containers from high-risk CAL ports will continue to be inspected by the department.
• Revising the empty container park AA conditions (Class 2.6) to strengthen assurance and improve data collection from internal container inspections.
• Scoping and planning for improved monitoring of containers from non-CAL ports through:
  • Random and targeted surveys conducted by AAs.
  • Class 2.6 AAs inspection of empty containers.

This project will develop new and refined profiles to support the management of hitchhiker pests in sea containers. Accurate profiling will help us achieve better border intervention outcomes.

The Compliance Based Intervention Scheme (CBIS) uses a contemporary approach to managing biosecurity risk by applying risk-based intervention on imported goods that have continually demonstrated a high level of compliance with Australia’s import conditions. This allows the department to incentivise compliance, leading to better regulatory outcomes. Biosecurity resources can then be better focussed on higher-risk pathways.

The project will look to expand the breadth and functionality of CBIS to provide greater flexibility for managing a broader range of plant and animal imports. This project aims to deliver necessary ICT enhancements and broader application of the CBIS across plant and animal imports.

More information on the CBIS can be found at CBIS for plant commodities and CBIS for animal commodities.

The Hitchhiker Surveillance Program is a key component of the national biosecurity surveillance system. Its aim is to improve early detection of high priority hitchhiker pests at locations which receive high-risk imported goods and conveyances.

Monitoring the entry of hitchhiker pests into Australia is critical. Detecting pests early is crucial to stop them from spreading and becoming established. We will concentrate on monitoring locations where hitchhiker pests first enter Australia. These places include Approved Arrangements (AA) and First Points of Entry. This may be expanded to include non-AA sites.

The program will investigate new and improved approaches to enhance the department’s surveillance capability, specifically the National Border Surveillance (NBS) program. Activities will include trialling emerging surveillance technologies. The program also aims to improve the biosecurity awareness among workers and the public at high-risk import sites.

This project will extend the Approved Arrangement (AA) framework. It aims to develop and revise approved arrangements to enable industry to carry out inspections and some treatments of imported sea containers. This will help manage the risks of hitchhiker pests and other contamination on and in sea containers.

The change will improve management of hitchhiker pests by increasing the number of containers that are inspected for these pests. Additionally, the change will enable re-allocation of departmental resources from CAL container inspections at the wharf to other risk management activities.

Class 19 Approved Arrangements (AAs) play a vital role in our biosecurity system. They enable importers to self-manage their obligations without constant supervision by the department. This reduces regulatory burden and impacts on our operational staff.

This project aims to implement policy reform and system enhancements for Class 19 AAs. We will deliver improvements in the administration of these AAs by streamlining processes, improving assurance, and creating further efficiencies supporting increased uptake. These improvements will ensure we remain equipped to address increasing risks presented by hitchhiker pests.

Current biosecurity surveillance methods rely heavily on manual inspection by biosecurity officers, which is time consuming and results in only a fraction of biosecurity risks being assessed at the Australian border. Alternative approaches of border biosecurity methods are required if we are to avoid increasingly large-scale, damaging, and expensive incursions.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology opens the possibility of detecting unwanted organisms by identifying their DNA in samples of dust, air, or other material (environmental DNA or eDNA) at ports of entry.

a. Container Screening for hitchhikers using eDNA and point-of-care technology

This project aims to assess and validate if eDNA technology can quickly, reliably and cost-effectively detect hitchhiker pests in sea containers. This project will involve conducting controlled experiments to evaluate the effectiveness and sensitivity of a device in collecting dust samples for detecting trace DNA and/or RNA. This involves placing the device units inside empty shipping containers to measure the amount of dust captured.

This project will also examine the effectiveness of molecular methods in detecting the target DNA, which will help us understand the sensitivity of our testing. This sensitivity is vital in identifying the smallest amount of target DNA we can consistently detect, essential for practical testing. This analysis will provide insights into the device's sensitivity and its performance under real-world operational conditions.

b. Air sampling and testing at AAs

The project aims to gather evidence to support the analysis of eDNA in air samples. Air samples will be collected automatically by special devices called iMapPESTS sentinel units. The data will be managed and reported through a platform. This project aims to determine if this setup will enable remote surveillance at ports. This means we would be able to keep an eye out for potential biosecurity threats in a more efficient way.

Phase 1 of this project is complete. It investigated automated air sampling for remote surveillance and high throughput processing of environmental samples for eDNA analyses. It tested the use of passive samplers at ports of entry in Australia to detect insect species. Automated samplers were placed at approved arrangement facilities at Australian ports of entry in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, with air samples being collected daily from July to September 2023. Results for this project showed differences in insect diversity associated to each location. It also demonstrated the capacity to assess the presence of insect species using passive surveillance, and important insights into the placement of samplers at ports of entry.

Phase 2 of this project is currently underway. It aims to better evaluate the technology across ports for passive surveillance of pest diversity. Phase 2 will extend the sampling and testing regime (July – September 2023) until June 2024. This will allow assessment of species prevalence across seasons including the high-risk warmer months. Brisbane has also been added as an additional surveillance trial location.

This project aims to develop, optimise and validate a single method that can detect 3 key honeybee mite pests in bee swarms at the border. The method must be rapid, accurate, and reliable and can detect all five priority bee mite pests.

This single method will mean improved detection capability at the border, and faster detection of exotic bee mites.

If an incursion does occur, our ability to rapidly identify exotic bee mites, and conduct appropriate surveillance activities, are critical to our chance of eradication.

This project is trialling a new high-tech camera ‘inspection wand’ (modified Cyclops-2) to see if it can detect biosecurity risk material (BRM) in hard-to-reach areas, like on top of shipping containers or underneath large machinery. It includes a camera with thermal, high-definition, white and infrared lights and a motorised tilt and rotation function. Currently our officers are required to climb ladders and stairs and use mirrors to inspect hard-to-reach areas. Accordingly, the modified Cyclops-2 could potentially offer a safer and more efficient alternative for inspections compared to our current methods.

If this technology is found to be fit-for-purpose, it could increase our detection of BRM in hard-to-reach areas and reduce work health and safety risk to our officers.

This project will investigate the use of autonomous robots to increase the number of containers that can be inspected and remove officers from potential work health safety (WHS) risks. It aims to evaluate the viability of machine vision AI models for detection of biosecurity risk material (BRM) along with a robot with autonomous capabilities.

Spot the robot will be trained and evaluated on its ability to:

• Scan all container surfaces (except the top) of a 20ft or 40ft shipping container.
• Automatically scan all channels located on the bottom of a shipping container.
• Scan and locate the container ID and compare against container manifest.
• Complete scan of exterior sides around the container to identify specified BRM.
• Enter and inspect the internal space of a container and scan the floor, walls, and ceilings for specified BRM.
• Stop upon detection of BRM, record image and alert the officer.
• Continue scanning after detecting BRM and repeat detection process if any further BRM is found.
• Return to point of origin and power down.

The handheld Hyperspectral Camera System project has been completed. In collaboration with Intelligent System Designs (ISD), this project trialled a portable AI-enhanced hyperspectral and visual camera system to detect and categorise potential biosecurity threats. The aim was to develop a handheld device for advanced surveillance and inspection use in hard-to-reach and difficult-to-inspect areas and for time-consuming processes.

The device utilises two different lens types: a hyperspectral camera lens and Red-Green-Blue (RGB) light wavelength lens. Combined with a self-learning detection algorithm (AI), the device was trained to instantly detect the presence of key exotic species within specific settings.

When trained, the system was highly accurate in detecting adult and larval dermestid beetles (the family of beetles which includes khapra beetle) and snails. Integrating diverse environmental backgrounds and pest groups into a single model presented performance challenges due to the limited processing power of the handheld device.

While the high-detection rate is encouraging, further development and improvements to the system are required before it can be used as an effective tool for detecting pest risks in a range of inspection and surveillance settings.

The Biosecurity Automated Threat Detection System (BATDS) project (aka “Cameras on Cranes/Container Scanning” project) has been completed. The project trialled the BATDS system in collaboration with Trellis Data Pty Ltd. to determine its potential for screening imported containers at ports.

The technology was unable to detect biosecurity risk material to a sufficient level of accuracy that is required for it to be implemented into an operational environment. The project provided valuable insights into the challenges of implementing automated camera technologies in operational settings and the lessons learned will prove valuable for any future trials.

This project aimed to determine if the RingIR technology can effectively and efficiently detect hitchhiker pests of biosecurity concern.

The RingIR device is a mobile device. It measures each molecule’s infrared spectrum to get a ‘fingerprint’ that uniquely identifies the gas (or pest) in the environment. The technology has the potential to give information on the presence of a fumigant or pest of concern, even though it is not visible to the human eye. It can instantly detect vapours and potentially pests, enabling on-the-spot decision making. As such, it offers the potential for an advanced detection tool.

The project concluded in March 2023. The results indicate the technology can detect and differentiate the vapour-phase secretions of hitchhiker pests in a controlled laboratory setting. Further extensive testing and research are required to demonstrate the potential capability of this technology in real-world operational settings.

This project has been completed. Heat treatment offers an environmentally friendly method to treat exotic snails. However, the temperature and duration required to kill snails at all life stages is unknown. We worked with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) to fill this knowledge gap.

Nearly 45,000 snails were exposed to treatments over the course of the project. All snail species treated were killed by 45 minutes of exposure to 60°C.

Our research resulted in the first published evaluation of heat treatments on dormant or aestivating snails of biosecurity concern to Australia. The results will be used to develop an evidence-based heat treatment protocol to treat goods infested with snails arriving at Australian ports.

This project has been completed. This project explored a compliance-based intervention scheme for regularly inspected goods. It aimed to improve the management of risks associated with sea containers and cargo.

Project aims:

• Reduce unwarranted interventions for compliant importers.
• Implement an effective and efficient system to monitor the risk status of goods that do not require regular intervention.
• Implement targeted approaches to increase intervention to suspected non-compliance.
• Expand onshore industry regulatory arrangements, such as approved arrangements, to manage residual risks.
• Expand offshore quality assurance schemes to keep biosecurity risks offshore.
• Implement supply chain assurance schemes by approved participants to manage hitchhiker risks.

Outcomes achieved:

• Developed a conceptual model of current sea cargo movement and management.
• Produced a historical sea container and containerised goods dataset that was analysed to form the structural model.
• Examined sampling approaches as part of assessing potential future inspection pathways, according to which containers can be selected for inspection. The two broad categories included:
  • random sampling, which is suitable for estimating rate of non-compliance or a verification and assurance mechanism (e.g. CCV).
  • risk-based continuous sampling protocols, are suitable for reducing leaked contamination and incentivising other parties to reduce contamination.
• A flexible modular simulation framework was developed that can simulate all the scenarios needed to answer the design questions.
• Simulated current and future management pathways. Multiple alternative future states were explored for external container risk management, including varying the proportion of containers inspected by industry.

The results and recommendations of this project will be used to improve the management of risks associated with sea containers and cargo.

This project aims to evaluate the risk of hitchhiker pests in imported shipping containers and their cargo using data and analytics. It will examine how well new and existing biosecurity measures control these pest risks. Additionally, we will develop a sophisticated algorithm to target risk containers.

In April 2021, the department undertook the khapra beetle approach rate trial. The trial aimed to assess the rate of sea containers arriving in Australia that are contaminated with khapra beetle, both alive and dead. As part of this trial, over 2,000 containers were vacuum sampled. Samples contained live and dead insects, including adults, larvae and castings. Environmental DNA (eDNA) and eRNA diagnostic methods were then used to determine if khapra beetle were present.

This project will build on the khapra beetle approach rate trial. It aims to gain a better understanding of the diversity of taxa groups associated with shipping containers. This project will further analyse and diagnose other species of invertebrates and plant material found in the 2,000 samples.

This will provide us with a better understanding of the species present in sea containers. The findings will also complement current molecular diagnostic assessment being undertaken. This will provide valuable insights into approach rates and guide future measures to reduce the risk posed by hitchhiker pests.

Australia has recently seen an increase in khapra beetle interceptions as a hitchhiker pest. Khapra beetle has been found in empty sea containers and in goods inside sea containers that previously had no connection to the beetle. Additionally, it has been found from countries where the beetle was not previously known to exist.

This project will develop a strategy to deal with khapra beetles found in sea containers and their goods. The plan will outline the actions we will take, based on the risk level. The plan will include detections found near and after the border.

This will guide the early steps for dealing with suspected khapra beetles. It will cover identifying, containing, tracing, and treating suspected khapra beetle detections in goods and containers.

This project will enhance the department’s capability to estimate biosecurity risk, expenditure, and value across the national biosecurity system. It will also improve the department’s ability to estimate these factors at the individual pathway level. It will focus on ensuring the growing risk of hitchhiker pests is appropriately modelled. It will use the latest input data. This work will inform the prioritisation of intervention to higher risk areas. It will also identify where economic or environmental impact of pest/disease outbreaks would be most severe.

An awareness campaign is planned to raise awareness of the risk of hitchhiker pests amongst stakeholders who interact with imported sea containers and goods, and to encourage them to report pest detections to the department using the See. Secure. Report hotline.

Target audiences include first point of entry seaport operators, major importers of sea containers, transport and freight logistics companies and relevant peak industry bodies.

The campaign will include sponsored social media advertising, digital display advertising and the production and distribution of merchandise. Merchandise products will include items such as caps/hats, posters, pens, air fresheners for hanging in cars. The campaign will also include departmental social media posts, webpage content, webinars and digi-kits (widget, banner, and social media tile to email to key stakeholders for use on their website, emails and newsletters).

The Hitchhiker Program is being supported by several ICT projects. These projects are being led by the department’s Simplified Targeting and Enhanced Processing System (STEPS) and include:

1. Container Management Capability: aims to deliver an enhanced ICT system to automate (where possible) the management of the container pathway within the IMS; and enable reduced intervention on compliant pathways and industry-led inspections.
2. Biosecurity Activity Reporting Tool: aims to trial a mobile-enabled application for biosecurity industry participants (BIPs) and BOD users to access biosecurity directions, enter inspection and treatment outcomes, attach supporting documents and access subsequent directions or releases from biosecurity control.
3. Approved Arrangements Management Product: aims to develop an electronic public facing service to enable industry operators to manage and administer their arrangements.
4. Offshore Treatment Provider registration system: aims to develop a new platform to manage the registration of offshore treatment provider applications and the ongoing compliance management of those providers.
5. External verification for e-certs system: aims to provide accredited brokers the ability to verify govt-to-govt certificates to meet import conditions.

The Hitchhiker Pest Container Survey project has been completed. This project involved inspecting the external surfaces of sea containers loaded in specific countries not on our Country Action List (CAL). Normally, these countries are generally not subject to external container inspection on arrival to Australia. The survey was undertaken in partnership with Qube Logistics in Queensland and South Australia.

They survey is now complete and over 1800 containers were inspected. The results of the survey confirmed the need to strengthen our monitoring of containers currently without intervention and to formulate industry arrangements for inspections of medium and low risk containers. The results may also inform future changes to the CAL. It will be used to help to underpin the department's risk and control settings.

This project has been completed. Over 250 new biosecurity officers and supporting staff have been onboarded. These staff are providing ongoing support for new and existing measures such as the increase in frontline resources, screening technology, testing and targeted compliance operations, and higher penalties for serious breaches.