Possibilities for control like the use of healthy seed, testing of seed and imported table and processing potatoes, avoidance of use of irrigation water, decontamination of waste water, hygiene and measures for infected fields will shortly be outlined. Australia Primary industries have, for many years, benefited from Australia's geographic isolation and relative freedom from some of the most destructive pests and diseases which are common in other western agricultural systems. This status has long been recognised by Government and Industry, and quarantine barriers are generally considered to have been effective in minimising the risk of incursions. In the past 10 years, increased tourism, business and movement of cargo have imposed greater pressure on services which may have contributed to more frequent breaches of the quarantine barrier, especially in plant industries. Race 4 of Fusarium oxysporum f sp.
Costs are substantial.
Increased resources are being provided for inspection at ports and mail centres, for pest risk analysis, for off shore eradication and containment of pests and pathogens on Australian islands in the Torres Strait, and for the development of more prescriptive contingency plans for exotic pests and pathogens at both generic and specific levels. The concept of risk analysis is not new. The process of PRA includes not only the assessment of the risk of entry and establishment of the pest but also the economic and environmental damage which might result should the pest be introduced. Until recently risks were assessed and plant health regulations were developed in an unsystematic manner. The intention is that phytosanitary measures that restrict trade should be applied only to the extent necessary to protect plant health, thus facilitating freer trade in plant material.