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Data is needed to assess the efficacy of the existing import controls. Australia's post-border testing and inspection measures on imported prawn commodities have not been subject to assessment of their efficacy in preventing WSSV stock reaching Australian retail outlets.
In light of the recent outbreak, a review of the application of protocols is warranted. Data is required to understand the extent of inspection processes for illegal prawn commodity importation, which may bypass the import testing protocols.

Objectives

1. Sample uncooked prawn commodities at retail outlets in Logan and Clarence River Catchments

2. Test commodities for presence of WSSV DNA using qPCR at NATA accredited laboratory

3. Review import testing and processes associated with import of prawns into Australia

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9577587-8-0

Author: Matt Landos

Final Report • 2017-04-01 • 2.60 MB

2016-066-DLD.pdf

Summary

Subsequently to the outbreak of WSD on Australian prawn farms in November-December 2016, this project was initiated to generate data on some of the likely entry pathways for WSSV to enter Australian waters via the retail purchase of uncooked prawns and crabs. The project also sought to compare the import procedures across different commodity types including chicken meat, pork, salmon and stock feeds to those which were being applied to prawns, prior to the WSD outbreak at the Logan River prawn farms.

Project products

Report • 2017-04-01 • 449.81 KB

2016-066-DLD-Supplementary Report.pdf

Summary

Additional tests were requested for samples of retail seafood product reported to be of Australian origin where a positive result for the qPCR test for WSSV DNA was obtained. A procedure for surface decontamination and dissection of internal tissue was implemented. This was intended to help distinguish natural infection with WSSV from surface contamination with the virus that could occur at any time during processing, offer for sale and processing for the survey.

PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-099

PROJECT STATUS:

COMPLETED

Research to provide data to support application for a minor use permits for chemicals including trichlorfon, chlorine, copper sulfate, hydrogen peroxide, benzylkonium chloride for control of disease including White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) in Australian prawn farms.

The project involved generation of chemical data packages through review and aggregation of public domain documents for each chemical (trichlorfon, hydrogen peroxide, sodium and calcium hypochlorite, copper sulphate and benzalkonium chloride). This facilitated identification of data gaps requiring...

ORGANISATION:

Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)

TAGS

SPECIES

Assessment of Frozen Uncooked Imported Prawns for Antimicrobial-Resistant Micro-organisms of Aquaculture and Public Health Significance and residues of Ag-vet chemicals

Project number: 2017-091

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $95,820.00

Principal Investigator: Matthew A. Landos

Organisation: Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)

Project start/end date: 16 Jul 2017 - 12 Oct 2017

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Need

The risk of importation of AMR into Australia via uncooked prawn commodities has not been assessed.
Given the existing pathway of dissemination of prawn commodities into waterways via disposal (berley)/use (bait) the release and establishment of AMR microbes could impact on prawn hatchery performance, where juvenile stages are particularly sensitive to bacterial diseases such as Vibriosis. Should AMR enter hatcheries via the use of wild broodstock, water or aerosol pathways it could contribute to great challenges in maintaining reliable hatchery production for the entire prawn farming sector, for it could render the currently available antimicrobials useless.
There is growing concern about the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in humans, and the pathways for its entry and establishment.
The trade of importing uncooked prawns for human consumption was temporarily suspended from early January to early July 2017 after the WSSV outbreaks on the Logan River in Queensland and import compliance breaches were identified. With this trade re-opening the pathway for potential entry of AMR on live bacteria warrants assessment.

A further pathway for generating enhanced risk of antimicrobial resistance is through allowing human consumption of commodities with sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotic and agricultural chemical residue.The Australian Prawn Farmers Association (APFA) are seeking to better understand the presence or absence of a range of chemical residues in imported prawn products. Insufficient data has been collected as part of the National Residue Survey to give industry confidence that the imported products do not pose a potential health risk to consumers, and hence do not pose a risk to the marketing and sales of prawns generally. Data is needed to inform the submission from the APFA to the review of the Commonwealth Import Risk Assessment of uncooked crustacean and Australia's food safety regulator (FSANZ).

Objectives

1. Define the identity of bacteria and their status with respect to phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance associated with imported frozen uncooked prawn commodities

2. Quantify the type and level of antibiotic and agricultural chemical residue in a range of imported prawn commodities purchased at Australian retail outlets

3. Discuss the implications of studies findings in respect of biosecurity controls and how they can contribute to protection of the productivity of the prawn farming industry and protection of human health

Report

ISBN: 978-1-64316-657-5

Author: Matt Landos

Report • 2018-02-01 • 722.42 KB

2017-091-DLD.pdf

Summary

As part of the response to the outbreak of White Spot Disease (WSD) in prawn farms along the Logan River, Southern Queensland in late November 2016, uncooked prawns were purchased by Dr Matt Landos (Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd) from various retail outlets in northern NSW and south east Queensland. These retail prawn samples were tested by qPCR for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) under FRDC project 2016/066. This project (2017-091) utilised residual sample material which had been held at -20oC at Future Fisheries Veterinary Service, East Ballina NSW, since collection during December 2016 and January 2017. Residual samples which were labelled as imported product either by signage at the retail outlet, or on product packaging were tested for:
1) Presence of bacteria that were of significance to aquaculture and public health (tested at the University of Adelaide)
2) Presence of resistance to a range of antimicrobials (tested at the University of Adelaide)
3) Presence of a suite of antimicrobials and other Ag-vet chemicals (tested at Queensland Government Chemical Residue Laboratory)

Summary

PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-096

PROJECT STATUS:

COMPLETED

International commercial management of muscle myxozoan disease

ORGANISATION:

Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)

Testing retail commodities for the presence of Taura Syndrome Virus and Yellow head Virus I

Project number: 2017-088

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $14,100.00

Principal Investigator: Matthew A. Landos

Organisation: Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)

Project start/end date: 2 Jul 2017 - 30 Aug 2017

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Need

The Australian prawn farming industry has been fortunate to remain free from many of the serious viral diseases which have decimated prawn farms internationally. It had been free from WSSV until it hit the Logan River farms in late 2016.
Pathways for movement of disease have been described through the movement of commodities destined for human consumption, such as uncooked prawns. Diversion of such commodities through use as bait or berley by anglers has the potential to generate a release pathway that could see these disease enter prawn farms via their intake of water, or through use of wild broodstock who may develop sub-clinical infections. Recent surveys have suggested that recreational angler use of supermarket origin uncooked prawns for bait has increased, even though such commodities are labelled that they are intended for human consumption only, and are specifically not to be used for bait.
Knowledge of the risks associated with uncooked prawn importations will assist the industry in contributing to the review of the Import Risk Assessment of uncooked crustacean which is currently underway. Data from this testing will also assist farmers in relation to making risk based decisions around major capital expenditure on farms to increase biosecurity and surveillance.

Objectives

1. Generate data on the PCR test status of imported uncooked prawns at retail in relation to Taura Syndrome Virus and Yellow Head Virus 1, to support Australian Prawn Farmers Association submission to the review of the Commonwealth Import Risk Assessment of uncooked crustacea

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-64204-814-8

Author: Matt Landos

Final Report • 2018-01-01 • 453.46 KB

2017-088-DLD.pdf

Summary

As part of the response to the outbreak of White Spot Disease (WSD) in late November 2016, uncooked prawns were purchased by Dr Matt Landos (Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd) from various retail outlets in northern NSW and south east Queensland and these were tested by qPCR for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) under FRDC project 2016/066. This project utilised residual sample material which had been held at -80oC at Sydney University since collection during December 2016 and January 2017. All remaining samples which were identifiable as imported were tested by PCR for two further exotic crustacean viruses: Yellowhead Virus-1 (YHV-1) and Taura Syndrome Virus (TSV).

PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-018

PROJECT STATUS:

COMPLETED

A global review of disease risks to the health and productivity of South Australia farmed Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT)

ORGANISATION:

Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)

TAGS

Disease

Biosecurity

SPECIES

Southern Bluefin Tuna

Assessing the biosecurity risk of uncooked whole and eviscerated barramundi and grouper in relation to exotic viruses

Project number: 2019-126

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $69,279.00

Principal Investigator: Matthew A. Landos

Organisation: Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)

Project start/end date: 19 Apr 2020 - 28 Feb 2021

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Need

The Australian farmed Barramundi is estimated at over $37.1 million AUD with a production of over 3,772 tonnes annually (Savage, 2015). The value of the wild-catch sector was estimated to be $9.9 million AUD with 1,073 tonnes produced (Savage, 2015). These sectors of the industry as well as recreational and Indigenous fishers, are all at risk of being exposed to hazards potentially introduced by imported Barramundi and grouper products, which could pose significant consequences. The Australian Federal Department of Agriculture does not consider there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the import conditions for uncooked barramundi do not effectively manage the risk of pests and diseases of concern arriving in Australia. Until further evidence is generated to demonstrate that importation of uncooked barramundi products poses a risk that exceeds Australia's Appropriate Level of Protection, then regulatory actions to mitigate these perceived biosecurity risks are unlikely to be implemented. Risk mitigation requirements for importation of whole farmed barramundi include that the exporting country must, among other things, declare it has in place health surveillance and monitoring and that the fish were not derived from a population slaughtered as an official disease control measure. However, this self-declaration is not supported by rigorous testing to ensure compliance. There are current and have been no previous protocols in place to test for the target iridoviruses in imported barramundi and grouper product, so the efficacy of the existing import controls has not been subject to assessment at retail level. Sampling at retail outlets of uncooked whole and eviscerated barramundi and grouper commodities is proposed in order to better assess the efficacy of import conditions. This project will focus on determining the presence or absence of exotic virus genetic material in imported uncooked potential high risk barramundi and grouper commodity. Should any positive genetic material be detected confirmatory re-testing will be performed in order to reduce the risk of a false positive PCR test result and a subsequent project will be prepared o

Objectives

1. To determine the presence of Red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV), Infectious Spleen and Kidney Necrosis Virus (ISKNV), Scale drop syndrome virus (SDSV) and Singapore Grouper Iridovirus (SGIV) in high risk imported uncooked barramundi and grouper collected from seafood retail outlets throughout Australia, using PCR.

2. Review of imported uncooked barramundi and grouper commodity types and relevance to current import risk assessment and published literature.

Final report

ISBN: 9781639441143

Authors: Matt A. Landos James Fensham Paul Hick Alison Tweedie Jo-Anne Ruscoe

Final Report • 2021-10-01 • 3.42 MB

2019-126-DLD.pdf

Summary

Presently, the Australian Barramundi farming industry enjoys freedom from numerous internationally significant diseases including all from the Megalocytivirus genus of iridoviruses. These diseases are known to be causing severe impacts on farmed Barramundi and other species in southeast Asia and elsewhere. Australia’s biosecurity system is the primary barrier to keep such disease risks offshore. The importation of Barramundi and other finfish commodities for human consumption from countries where these diseases have been reported had not been fully assessed as a risk pathway for disease incursion prior to this project.

PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-190

PROJECT STATUS:

COMPLETED

National Carp Control Plan - Biosecurity Strategy for the Koi (Cyprinus carpio) industry

In recent years, CyHV-3 has been explored as a possible biocontrol measure for European carp in Australia. This virus is an OIE listed disease that at this time remains exotic to Australia. The potential release of CyHV-3 into Australian waters would introduce new risks to Australia’s koi...

ORGANISATION:

Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)

SPECIES

European Carp

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