Media release – Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, 19 December 2023
Biosecurity Basics can help protect Tasmania this summer holiday season
Biosecurity Tasmania is urging visitors, and all Tasmanians returning home, to be extra vigilant this summer for potential biosecurity risks they may bring with them and to remember the Biosecurity Basics.
Biosecurity Tasmania General Manager Rae Burrows said the Biosecurity Basics were come in clean, check your bags, stay on the path, and report anything unusual.
“The Biosecurity Basics are simple, yet practical actions we can all take to help protect Tasmania from the negative impacts of pests, weeds and diseases,” Ms Burrows said.
“It only takes an apple in your luggage or some contaminated soil on your shoes from a recent holiday in Indonesia to have a major and negative impact on our state’s primary industries, environment, and way of life.
“Take a few extra minutes when preparing to travel to Tasmania to ensure you are not bringing fruit and vegetables, some animal and seafood products as well as plants, soil and seeds. Many pests and diseases can hitchhike their way into Tasmania inside an item in your luggage, or on clothing and equipment that hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned.
“It’s simple biosecurity actions like these that can help protect Tasmania’s well-deserved reputation for producing some of the world’s best produce, as well as preserving an environment that is free from many of the pests and diseases that are found interstate or overseas.”
Tasmanians all have a role to play in protecting the state and reducing biosecurity risks.
To find out more about the Biosecurity Basics, visit: https://nre.tas.gov.au/biosecurity-tasmania/biosecurity-basics or you can view the Biosecurity Basics video series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_LeRPTlTNWiPWKlbJdaubnfNVHh4xYri.
