White Spot Disease in Australia: an updated chronology to 2022

10 March 2023

PDF Version [952 KB]

Dr Emily Gibson and Dr Rebecca Bathgate
Science, Technology, Environment and Resources Section

Contents

Introduction

White spot disease (WSD) is a highly contagious viral disease of decapod crustaceans such as prawns and crabs.[1] WSD can cause the death of up to 100% of prawns in farm settings. The disease was first detected in east Asia in the early 1990s and has since spread world-wide in association with the development of commercial aquaculture. Australia was considered free of WSD until a major outbreak in prawn farms in south-east Queensland in 2016–17, resulting in production losses of around $40 million. The pathway of introduction remains unclear. There have been numerous reviews of biosecurity arrangements and government and parliamentary inquiries into the appropriate biosecurity approach and arrangements for responding to WSD and other similar exotic viruses.

This chronology provides an overview of the development of Australian biosecurity requirements and policy relating to WSD and tracks reported incursions of the causative white spot syndrome virus into Australia. It updates and extends an earlier version prepared by Kate Loynes to December 2016.

White spot disease

White spot disease (WSD) is a viral infection, caused by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), that affects prawns, other crustaceans, and some marine worms.[2] While rarely fatal in wild stocks, WSD can cause death in up to 100% of infected prawns in farm settings (that is, aquaculture). WSD presents initially as loss of appetite, abnormal swimming behaviour, and lethargy, before leading to death within three to ten days.[3] Infected prawns often have small white spots on their exoskeleton. While infection with WSSV does not always lead to WSD, farmed prawns are especially susceptible, with infection becoming more virulent in the presence of environmental stressors such as high salinity, higher temperature and high levels of unionised ammonia.[4] The disease can be transmitted vertically (via spawning), horizontally (through ingestion of infected animals or feed), via contaminated water, and numerous marine invertebrates (for example, copepods)[5] and insects have been identified as intermediary hosts.[6]

Diseased prawns and other crustaceans can be eaten by humans with no harmful effect.

WSSV emerged in mainland China and Taiwan in 1991–92 and has since spread throughout prawn farming areas in East, Southeast and South Asia, the United States and Central and South America, the Middle East, and East and Southern Africa.[7] It is also considered endemic in some wild (at sea) populations.[8] In 2012, the economic cost of the disease on the prawn aquaculture industry worldwide was estimated at up to US$15 billion since its initial emergence and spread, increasing at a rate of US$1 billion annually.[9] This is equivalent to approximately 10% of the value of global prawn production.

Australia’s biosecurity management framework

Biosecurity is the ‘protection of the economy, environment and human health from the negative impacts associated with entry, establishment or spread of exotic pests (including weeds) and diseases’.[10] Animal and plant biosecurity issues are administered by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) in accordance with the framework established by the Biosecurity Act 2015.[11] The purpose of the Biosecurity Act is to manage biosecurity risks in the context of Australia’s international obligations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement). The SPS Agreement accepts that, while every Member country is entitled to set its own ‘appropriate level of protection’ (ALOP), this must balance the SPS Agreement’s requirement to adopt the least trade restrictive quarantine barriers possible. The ALOP for Australia is defined in section 5 of the Biosecurity Act as ‘a high level of sanitary and phytosanitary protection aimed at reducing biosecurity risks to a very low level, but not to zero’.[12]

Alongside the framework imposed by international obligations, the Biosecurity Act is underpinned by the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity (IGAB, revised January 2019) and the National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement (NEBRA). The IGAB governs the working partnerships between Commonwealth, state and territory governments via the National Biosecurity Committee, while NEBRA sets out the framework for responding to national biosecurity incidents through the National Biosecurity Management Group.[13]

The Biosecurity Act establishes the positions of Director of Biosecurity and the Inspector-General of Biosecurity.[14] The Inspector-General may undertake reviews on the performance of functions by the Director of Biosecurity, biosecurity officers and biosecurity enforcement officers; and the process for conducting biosecurity import risk analyses (IRAs).[15] The Inspector-General of Biosecurity does not have authority to review national biosecurity policies or international trade issues.[16]

Australia’s WSSV reporting obligations

WSSV is listed as a notifiable aquatic animal disease under the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (OIE) Aquatic Animal Health Code.[17] Member States are required to notify the OIE of the occurrence of a listed disease, and to provide weekly or—once the situation has become sufficiently stable—six-monthly reports on the situation until such time as the country becomes free of the disease.[18] Australia’s delegate to the OIE is the Chief Veterinary Officer, supported by the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer within the DAFF.

WSSV is thus included in Australia’s National List of Reportable Diseases of Aquatic Animals, administered by the Animal Health Committee. The Committee provides strategic scientific and policy advice with the objective of managing animal biosecurity risks. State and territory biosecurity authorities report quarterly to the DAFF on the status of diseases on the National List. Updates to the list are considered annually.

WSSV is also included in the National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases (the EEPL), and is classified in the subset of 42 ‘higher-risk’ species identified as posing the greatest risk to Australia’s environmental biosecurity.[19] The National Priority List serves to facilitate education, communication and discussion on the most pressing environmental biosecurity risks, as well as to guide, establish and expand surveillance activities. The EEPL is reviewed every 5 years and managed by the Chief Environmental Biosecurity Officer (CEBO), who acts as a single point of contact for national reporting of environmental pests, diseases and weeds under the NEBRA.[20]

Production of prawns in Australia

Australia produces both farmed and wild prawns; prawns are Australia’s fifth most valuable aquaculture species in terms of production value.[21]

In 2020–21, the gross value of production of farmed and wild-caught prawns was $424 million, with an export value of $73.6 million.[22] Prawns are harvested in the following Commonwealth and Joint Authority managed fisheries: Northern Prawn Fishery, Torres Strait Prawn Fishery and Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery.[23] Prawns are harvested in state-managed wild‑catch fisheries in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Prawns are also farmed in Queensland (mainly in the central and southern coast regions) and New South Wales (around Yamba).[24]

According to ABARES, the proportion of Australia’s prawns produced in aquaculture is increasing.[25] Several large-scale prawn aquaculture projects have been proposed in recent years, including Seafarms Group’s Project Sea Dragon in Western Australia and the Northern Territory and Tassal’s redevelopment of Exmoor Station north of Mackay.[26] However, at the time of writing, neither of these large projects have progressed.[27]

The potential for WSSV to impose significant economic and social costs on the Australian prawn industry was highlighted by the 2016–17 outbreak of WSD among prawn farms in the Logan River, Queensland. The outbreak is estimated to have led to production losses of $43 million.[28] The Australian Government provided funding of up to $21.9 million for control measures in the two years following the outbreak, while the Queensland Government provided $17 million for control measures in 2016–17 and committed up to $9 million over the following two years.[29] Three of the Logan River farms affected by the 2016–17 WSD outbreak were able to restart low‑level stocking and harvesting in 2019.[30] One of the companies affected estimated that its production would not return to pre-outbreak levels until 2024.[31]

Chronology

Milestones	Details	Source Documents
Prior to 1992	No animal health related policy in Australia for the importation of prawns or prawn products The only restriction prior to 1992 related to insect contamination of dried prawn imports.	Biosecurity Australia, Generic Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products, (Canberra: Biosecurity Australia, 2009).
1992	Permits required for importation of certain prawn products The Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) introduces a requirement for permits for the importation of manufactured prawn meals and prawn feeds.	Biosecurity Australia, Generic Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products.
1992	First global record of White Spot Disease (WSD) The disease is first detected in farmed prawns in mainland China and Taiwan between 1991 and 1992.	I. East, P. Black, K. McColl, R. Hodgson and E-M. Bernoth, ‘Survey for the Presence of White Spot Syndrome Virus in Australian Crustaceans’, Australian Veterinary Journal 82, no. 4 (April (2004): 236–240.
1992	AQIS commissions major review of aquatic animal health and quarantine The review is to be undertaken by the then Bureau of Rural Resources.	Biosecurity Australia, Generic Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products.
1994	WSSV spreads to south-east Asia The virus spreads via the transportation of farmed prawns and appears in Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and the west coast of India.	East et al, ‘Survey for the Presence of White Spot Syndrome Virus in Australian Crustaceans’. Ali Khatibi Tabar, A Review on White Spot Disease in Penaeid Shrimp Farms with a Brief Study on its Occurrence in Shrimp Aquaculture Zones: Code of Practice in Iran, OIE Workshop presentation for OIE National Focal Points for Aquatic Animals, Dubai, (2010).
February 1994	Australian prawn farming industry raises biosecurity concerns regarding uncooked prawn imports The industry writes to AQIS detailing their concerns about the potential for introduction of exotic pathogens in imported uncooked prawns.	Sen. Richard Alston, Answer to Question on Notice: Prawns: white spot virus, [Questioner: John Woodley], Question 3493, Senate, Debates, 28 June 2001, 25577.
June 1995	National Task Force on Imported Fish and Fish Products (the Task Force) established to examine the issue of importation of prawns not intended for human consumption	Alston, Answer to Question on Notice: Prawns: white spot virus.
14 August 1995	Scientific working report and review of aquatic animal quarantine released The report notes that ‘there are inconsistencies in current quarantine practice. For example, uncooked chilled or frozen crustaceans may be imported without restriction from any country, including countries in regions known to have disease that are exotic to Australia’. The report recommends increasing quarantine controls for crustaceans identified as being in higher risk categories, including that imported farmed species should be certified as free of disease by the responsible authority in the exporting country. The report also acknowledged that ‘the inappropriate end use of aquatic animals products imported for human consumption may be a significant means of introducing exotic diseases’ and recommended a public education campaign. Senator Collins said policy responses flowing from the report’s recommendations would be progressively implemented in consultation with stakeholders and the National Task Force.	M. J. Nunn, Aquatic Animal Quarantine in Australia: Report of the Scientific Working Party on Aquatic Animal Quarantine, volume 1, (Canberra: Bureau of Resource Sciences, 1995). Bob Collins (Minister for Primary Industries and Energy), Release of major scientific working report and review of aquatic animal quarantine in Australia, media release, 4 August 1995.
14 December 1995	Review of Australia’s quarantine policy announced The Australian Quarantine Review, chaired by Prof. Malcolm Nairn, is tasked with making recommendations on the protection capabilities of existing quarantine programs and potential revisions to the quarantine policy framework and risk assessment processes.	Bob Collins (Minister for Primary Industries and Energy), ‘Independent review of quarantine’, media release, 14 December 1995.
16 September 1996	Australian prawn farming industry writes to AQIS requesting urgent action be taken to protect Australia from pathogens in uncooked prawn imports According to Senator Woodley, the industry writes that ‘the clock is ticking on Australia’s disease-free status’.	Alston, Answer to Question on Notice: Prawns: white spot virus.
September 1996	AQIS announces a ban on the import of uncooked prawns not intended for human consumption Importing prawns for any use other than human consumption (such as bait or animal feed) from any country is banned. The announcement of the ban by AQIS pre-empts recommendations by the Task Force.	Biosecurity Australia, Generic Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products.
10 December 1996	National Task Force report released The National Task Force recommends import requirements for imported bait prawns, prawn feeds, and prawns for human consumption be reviewed as a high priority. It also ‘recommends a separation of risk-assessment and risk-management processes’.	National Task Force on Imported Fish and Fish Products, A Report into the Implications Arising From Aquatic Animal Imports, report prepared for the Department of Primary Industries and Energy, (Canberra: December 1996). John Anderson (Minister for Primary Industries and Energy), 'Nairn Report on quarantine’, media release, 10 December 1996.
10 December 1996	Nairn Report on Australia’s quarantine policies and processes released The report contains 109 recommendations, including the establishment of a statutory authority (Quarantine Australia) to put quarantine decisions at arm’s length from the Government.	M. Nairn, P. Allen, A. Inglis, and C. Tanner, Australian Quarantine: a Shared Responsibility, (Canberra: Department of Primary Industries and Energy, December 1996). Anderson, ‘Nairn Report on quarantine’.
May 1997	AQIS’s Import Risk Analysis on prawn and prawn products begins	Biosecurity Australia, Generic Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products.
1998	Research shows WSSV present in Asian prawns imported into USA Imported prawns purchased at supermarkets in the USA test positive for WSSV. The researchers suggest that infected prawns imported from Asia introduced WSSV to Texas in 1995.	L. Nunan, B. Poulos and D. Lightner, ‘The Detection of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) and Yellow Head Virus (YHV) in Imported Commodity Shrimp’, Aquaculture 160, no. 1 (1998): 19–30.
1999	WSSV spreads across central and South America The disease has been detected in Texas, South Carolina, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.	East, ‘Survey for the Presence of White Spot Syndrome Virus in Australian Crustaceans’.
1999	First identification of imported prawn with WSSV in Australia A prawn farmer recognised WSSV symptoms on prawns served to him at a restaurant in Queensland and alerted authorities. Testing prawns from the same batch confirmed the presence of WSSV.	Mick Palmer (NT Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries), ‘Ministerial Statement: White Spot Syndrome Virus’, Legislative Assembly, Debates, 20 February 2001.
March 1999	Report on environmental impact of WSSV in Australia released The report concludes that WSSV ‘is unlikely to have any measurable impact on wild prawn populations should it become established in Australia’ but that for prawn farms WSSV would be ‘initially devastating’.	C. Baldock, Environmental Impact of the Establishment of Exotic Prawn Pathogens in Australia, report commissioned by AQIS, (March 1999).
April 1999	Report on economic impact of WSSV in Australia released The report finds that financial costs for prawn farmers would be significant, due to higher production costs, but ‘losses due to establishment of [WSSV] would probably be small relative to the total [farmed and wild caught prawn] industry’.	Alliance Resource Economics, Economic Impact of Establishment of Exotic Prawn Disease, report commissioned by AQIS, (Canberra: AQIS, April 1999).
April 1999	AQUAPLAN endorsed by Ministerial Council on Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture The 5-year strategic plan for aquatic animal health was developed by state, territory and Commonwealth Governments and private industry in response to the Task Force Report and Nairn Report. The plan aims to develop a national approach to management of aquatic animal health and to emergency response. The plan is publicly released in September 1999.	National Office of Animal and Plant Health, AQUAPLAN: Australia’s National Strategic Plan for Aquatic Animal Health 1998–2003, (Canberra: DAFF, 1999).
August 2000	Prawn farms in Queensland surveyed for WSSV The survey is conducted in response to a recommendation of the Consultative Committee for Emergency Animal Diseases (CCEAD). The survey finds no WSSV in any prawn farm and the industry is considered free of the disease.	Australian Animal Health Information System, ‘White Spot Syndrome in Imported Prawns’, Animal Health Surveillance Quarterly 5, no. 3 (2000): 6. East, ‘Survey for the Presence of White Spot Syndrome Virus in Australian Crustaceans’.
25 August 2000	Draft Import Risk Analysis for prawns and prawn products released The proposed conditions include: a ban on uncooked whole prawns under a specified weight (15 g) whole uncooked prawns above a specified weight be permitted entry only with official certification from a competent authority.	AQIS, Animal Quarantine Policy Memorandum 2000/41: Import Risk Analysis: Prawns and Prawn Products: Draft Import Risk Analysis Paper, 25 August 2000. AQIS, Draft Import Risk Analysis for Prawns and Prawn Products, (Canberra: AQIS, August 2000).
15 November 2000	Prawns with WSSV-like RNA signal fed to crabs in Darwin NT officials are informed that approximately 3 kg of imported Indonesian prawns were fed to crabs and fish at the Darwin Aquaculture Centre (DAC) over the past 2 months. The prawns were imported from Indonesia for human consumption only, but repackaged in Australia as ‘River Prawns, product of Australia’ for use as bait. The packaging did not state that the prawns were from Indonesia or for human consumption only. The DAC had a policy of only using Australian products as feed to reduce the risk of disease. All animals fed imported prawns were destroyed within 24 hours and the premises disinfected. Subsequent testing by CSIRO confirmed that the imported prawns were positive for WSSV, as were some of the crabs at DAC.	James Wakelin, ‘Bug Puts Prawns at Risk’, Northern Territory News, 26 January 2001. Palmer, ‘Ministerial Statement: White Spot Syndrome Virus’. Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT), Summary Report on the Discovery of RNA Signals Similar to White Spot Syndrome Virus in Imported Green Prawns, February 2001. Biosecurity Australia, Generic Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products, Appendix 2.
20 November 2000	Crabs and prawns with WSSV-like RNA signal found in Darwin Harbour The NT Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (NT DPIF) tested crabs and prawns captured near the water outfall pipe from the DAC. Five out of 12 crabs and 2 out of 4 prawns tested produced a weak positive for a WSSV-like RNA signal.	Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT), Summary Report.
20 November 2000	Additional facility in NT found to use imported prawns A survey by the NT DPIF identified that prawns from the same batch of imported prawns were being used at the Northern Territory School of Aquaculture. The School had a closed system and all wastewater was kept on site; there was no risk of WSSV spreading to the environment. All crabs and prawns fed imported prawns were destroyed and the facility disinfected. Subsequent testing by CSIRO confirmed that captive prawns at the School were positive for WSSV.	Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT), Summary Report.
23 November 2000	Australia presents the draft 2000 Prawn IRA to the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Over the following years, a series of concerns are raised by CSPM member countries including, Thailand, Vietnam and China. These concerns related to the period of time taken to prepare the risk assessment and the scientific evidence underlying the interim measures.	Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee (RRAT Committee), Biosecurity Risks Associated With the Importation of Seafood and Seafood Products (Including Uncooked Prawns and Uncooked Prawn Meat) into Australia, (Canberra: The Senate, October 2017), 62–65.
November–December 2000	NT Government alerts other governments and fishing industry The NT Government alerts the CCEAD that prawns imported for human consumption are being repackaged and sold as bait in Australia. The CCEAD advises states and territories of the situation. Representatives of the seafood industry and recreational fishing industry are also alerted, as are prawn farmers in the NT.	Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT), Summary Report.
6 December 2000	National survey on presence of WSSV in Australia recommended The CCEAD Joint Taskforce Working Group recommends a national survey be conducted to determine the WSSV status of Australian wild and farmed crustaceans.	Palmer, ‘Ministerial Statement: White Spot Syndrome Virus’.
14 December 2000	Interim conditions for importing uncooked prawns for human consumption introduced Biosecurity Australia introduces interim conditions consistent with the recommendations of the Draft Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products. Imported prawns must be certified as free of visible infectious disease and either (i) harvested in a region officially free of WSSV and yellowhead disease; or (ii) packaged so as to identify the graded count, labelled with the country-of-origin and ‘for human consumption only’ and be larger than 15 g in individual weight. The prohibition on importing prawns other than for human consumption remains in place.	Biosecurity Australia, Animal Biosecurity Policy Memorandum 2000/057: Interim conditions on importation of green (uncooked) prawns, 14 December 2000.
18–20 December 2000	Sampling no longer detects WSSV-like RNA signal in Darwin Harbour Additional testing by NT DPIF finds crabs near DAC outfall pipe free of WSSV-like RNA signal. Crabs tested from around Darwin Harbour were also free of WSSV-like RNA signal. The Department considers the WSSV infection in the Harbour ‘non-sustaining’, but commences a monitoring and surveillance programme.	Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT), Summary Report.
25 January 2001	NT Government calls for a 6 month ban on prawn imports Following the incident at the DAC, NT Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries Mick Palmer calls for a six-month ban on all prawn imports.	Nicole Johnson, ‘Prawns threatened by virus’, PM, ABC, 25 January 2001.
25 January 2001	AQIS states prawn imports ‘extremely low risk’ AQIS spokesperson states that importing uncooked prawns is ‘extremely low risk’ and that in test results there has been no evidence of WSSV.	Johnson, ‘Prawns threatened by virus’.
February 2001	Darwin Harbour declared free of WSSV Repeated testing by NT DPIF of captive and wild prawns and crabs are all negative for WSSV. Darwin Harbour is declared free of WSSV.	Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT), Summary Report.
February 2001	Repackaged shipment traced The NT and Queensland Governments trace the repackaged Indonesian prawns contaminated with WSSV to an importer in Perth. Two shipments, totalling 10 tonnes, were imported into Australia in September and November 1999. The final destination and end use of the imported prawns outside the Northern Territory is unknown.	Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT), Summary Report.
5 February 2001	Conditions for importing uncooked prawns for human consumption changed AQIS now requires all imported uncooked prawns to enter a quarantine facility and be tested for WSSV. Shipments that test positive will be re-exported or destroyed. The Department defends the exclusion of 14 of the 16 product types of uncooked prawns on the basis that measures are targeted at prawns deemed most likely to be used as bait (whole and unpeeled, headless green prawns).	AQIS, Animal Biosecurity Policy Memorandum 2001/06: Uncooked (green prawns): Tighter import conditions, 7 February 2001. Richard Alston, Answer to Question on Notice: Prawns White Spot Virus, [Questioner: John Woodley], Question 3493, Senate, Debates, 28 June 2001.
20 February 2001	National survey for WSSV underway Biosecurity Australia confirms it is conducting a survey across Australia, inshore and offshore waters, to determine if WSSV is present.	Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, Official Committee Hansard, 20 February 2001, 226.
28 March 2001	Unconfirmed report of WSD in Victoria Senator Woodley asks the Minister for the Environment and Heritage Senator Robert Hill if he has heard about reports of WSD in the Gippsland Lakes, Victoria. Senator Hill responded that he was ‘unaware of this claimed outbreak’. Senator Hill states that ‘there is no scientific evidence to suggest that the use of green prawns as bait has led to the introduction of disease’.	John Woodley, Answer to Questions without notice: Prawns: White Spot Virus, Senate, Debates, 28 March 2001. Robert Hill, Answer to Questions without notice: Prawns: White Spot Virus, [Questioner: J Woodley], Senate, Debates, 28 March 2001.
28 March 2001	NSW Government lists WSSV as a declared disease Minister for Fisheries, Eddie Obeid, states that he has ‘today listed the virus as a declared disease within New South Wales’, such that ‘it is an offence under NSW law to sell prawns suspected of being infected with the disease or place infected prawns in State waterways’. This listing appears to have taken effect on 28 September 2001, when the amendment to the Fisheries Management Act 1994 (NSW) was gazetted.	Eddie Obeid, Questions without notice: White Spot Syndrome Virus, [Questioner: A Kelly], NSW Legislative Council, Debates, 28 March 2001. New South Wales Government Gazette Number 146, 28 September 2001, 9–11.
21 April 2001	All imports of whole, uncooked prawns now require an import permit New conditions require permits for the import of green prawns for any use. The requirements are designed to prevent uncooked prawns being imported for human consumption but then sold as bait. Exemptions are made for raw prawns from New Caledonia (which is considered disease-free) and for processed prawns from all countries.	AQIS, Public Quarantine Alert PQA0116: Interim Measures for Importation of Green (Uncooked) Prawns, 21 April 2001.
25 April 2001	NSW Minister claims WSSV in Sydney Harbour NSW Minister for Fisheries, Eddie Obeid, announces that a prawn sampled from Sydney Harbour has tested positive for WSSV. He states that ‘on 12 April our worst fears appeared to have been confirmed. The CSIRO – our country’s pre-eminent scientific organisation – officially confirmed that prawns from Sydney Harbour had tested positive, not once but repeatedly. Only two days earlier New South Wales Fisheries was advised by the Federal DAFF that such a test by the CSIRO was considered to be 100 per cent specific for this disease’.	Eddie Obeid, Questions without notice: White Spot Syndrome Virus, [Questioner: R Dyer], NSW Legislative Council, Debates, 29 May 2001.
25 April 2001	Seven tonnes of imported prawns held by AQIS More than 7 tonnes of prawns imported from Indonesia are held at the Brisbane and Cairns ports due to testing positive for WSSV.	Kevin Meade and Cathy Pryor, ‘Virus Threat to Bananas and Prawns’, Australian, 25 April 2001.
18 May 2001	Federal Minister refutes Obeid’s WSSV claim Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Warren Truss, states that follow up tests by CSIRO have found that the test results Minister Obeid announced ‘have come up ‘all clear’ following a suspicious preliminary test’. Truss states that ‘it is now clear that Sydney Harbour does not have white spot virus’.	Warren Truss (Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry), ‘CSIRO Tests Find no White Spot Virus in Sydney Harbour Prawns – Minister Obeid Should Apologise for False Claims’, media release, 18 May 2001. Warren Truss, ‘NSW Minister Misleads Public About Seafood white spot disease’, media release, 22 May 2001.
28 May 2001	More detailed uncooked prawn import conditions announced These conditions clarify the import conditions introduced in late 2000 and early 2001. The conditions include requirements on import permits, certification, size limits, inspections, testing, declarations and record keeping. The measures take effect from 4 June 2001.	Biosecurity Australia, Animal Biosecurity Policy Memorandum 2001/11: Importation of uncooked prawns and prawn products: Advice on quarantine measures, 28 May 2001.
29 May 2001	Preliminary national WSSV survey results Biosecurity Australia confirms that the presence of WSSV in both the Gippsland Lakes and Sydney Harbour have not been confirmed by further testing.	Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, Additional Information Received Budget Estimates 2001–02, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Portfolio, volume 1, Answers to Questions on Notice, Question 10, August 2001, [248].
29 May 2001	Minister Obeid accuses Government of a cover-up Minister Obeid, responding to Minister Truss’ accusation that he prematurely announced the presence of WSSV, states ‘this Government does not believe a cover-up is the solution to any concerns about diseases in our waterways. This means taking the tough decisions and keeping the NSW community informed’.	Eddie Obeid, Questions without notice: White Spot Syndrome Virus, [Questioner: R Dyer], NSW Legislative Council, Debates, 29 May 2001.
4 June 2001	Interim measures proposed in the 2000 draft IRA for prawns are fully implemented These include: a ban on whole uncooked prawns less than 15 g to minimise their use as bait post-arrival inspection in Australia by AQIS WSSV testing of all imported batches of uncooked whole prawns or unpeeled headless prawns.	Biosecurity Australia, Generic Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products, 14.
2002	WSD spreads to the Middle East and Iran	Khatibi Tabar, A Review on White Spot Disease.
2002	Government provides confidential response to Post-mortem Exercises This Council of Australian Governments (COAG) report is confidential and not publicly available.	COAG, Final report on the Post Mortem Exercises on the Emergency Management Response to Evidence of White Spot Virus in Australia, 2002. E-M. Bernoth, I. Ernst and B. Wright, ‘National aquatic animal health plans: the Australian experience’ Revue Scientifique Et Technique (International Office Of Epizootics) 27, no. 1, (2008): 71–88.
9 May 2002	National survey confirms Australia free of WSSV The national survey, triggered by the Darwin incident, finds Australia free of WSSV. The survey tested over 3,000 prawns and crabs from 64 different wild, farmed and research locations around Australia. Several samples tested positive in the first round of testing (via PCR) but were negative with more sensitive tests, indicating that testing for WSSV requires multiple tests to accurately determine its presence.^{^[32]}	Warren Truss, ‘Nationwide survey confirms Australia free of prawn disease’, media release, 9 May 2002. East, ‘Survey for the Presence of White Spot Syndrome Virus in Australian crustaceans’.
25 June 2002	AQIS introduces ‘highly processed’ prawn category Permit conditions are amended to excuse ‘highly processed prawns’ from inspection and testing requirements. Highly processed prawns include prawns that are peeled except for the tail, breaded/battered, have a body mass greater than 18 g, and are sold in packages under 3 kg.	Biosecurity Australia, Animal Biosecurity Policy Memorandum 2002/33: Quarantine review: Highly processed prawn products, 25 June 2002.
November 2003	Western Australian survey finds no evidence of WSSV Over 1,760 prawns from 29 wild and research locations are sampled, with no prawns testing positive for WSSV. Prawns in Western Australia are labelled free of WSSV.	J. Jones, Determination of the Disease Status of Western Australian Commercial Prawn Stocks, (North Beach, WA: WA Department of Fisheries, November 2003).
Jan–Feb 2004	WSSV detected in imported prawns in Queensland A batch of prawns imported into Queensland from South-East Asia was sampled for WSSV. Most lab prawns injected with material from the imported prawns became ill with or died from WSD within 5 days. The study concludes that WSSV is present in imported frozen prawns from South-East Asia, and that the disease is capable of infecting Australian prawns.	K. McColl, J. Slater, G. Jeyasekaran, A. Hyatt and M. St Crane, ‘Detection of White Spot Syndrome Virus and Yellowhead Virus in Prawns Imported into Australia’, Australian Veterinary Journal 82, nos. 1–2 (2004): 69–74.
April 2005	AQUAPLAN 2005–2010 endorsed by Primary Industries Ministerial Council Continuing on from AQUAPLAN 1998–2003, AQUAPLAN 2005–10 contains seven strategies aiming to maximise Australia’s ability to control aquatic animal disease outbreaks, maintain market access, support quality assurance, and improve the productivity and sustainability of its aquatic animal production industries.	DAFF, AQUAPLAN: Australia’s National Strategic Plan for Aquatic Animal Health 2005–10, (Canberra: DAFF, July 2005).
June 2005	Disease Strategy for WSD released The strategy sets out the disease control principles in the event of the suspected or confirmed presence of WSD in Australia.	DAFF, Disease Strategy: White Spot Disease, AQUAVETPLAN, 2nd edn, (Canberra: DAFF, June 2005).
14 September 2006	Western Australia and the Northern Territory call for a ban on the import of raw prawn products WA Fisheries Minister, Jon Ford, said ‘federal authorities should impose a temporary ban on the import of raw prawns immediately’.	Anon, ‘Support for raw prawn ban call’, Northern Territory News, 14 September 2006.
23 November 2006	Revised draft Import Risk Analysis for prawns and prawn products released The report suggests that imported uncooked prawns should be: from a country recognised as WSSV-free; headless, peeled and tested on arrival in Australia; highly processed (i.e. battered / crumbed); or cooked in approved premises on arrival.	Biosecurity Australia, Biosecurity Australia Policy Memorandum 2006/35: Revised Draft Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products, and Part A – Summary and Part B – Risk Assessment Report, 23 November 2006.
28 November 2006	Imported prawns in Queensland test positive for WSSV The Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPIF) tested 11 samples of imported raw prawns purchased from supermarkets. All samples tested positive for WSSV. These results were confirmed by further testing at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory. Sample batches tested from WA supermarkets are also found to be positive for WSSV.	Jan Jarrat, ‘Matters of public interest: Prawn industry’, Queensland Parliament Record of Proceedings, 28 November 2006, 602. Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, (Canberra: Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR), 2017), 38.
20 June 2007	Study reports that incidence of recreational fishers using imported prawns as bait has increased A study commissioned by Biosecurity Australia finds that the number of recreational fishers buying imported prawns for human consumption to use as bait has increased since 2002.	Kewagama Research, National Survey of Bait and Berley Use by Recreational Fishers, report commissioned by Biosecurity Australia, (December 2002). Kewagama Research, National Survey of Bait and Berley Use by Recreational Fisheries: A follow-up survey focusing on prawns/shrimp, report commissioned by Biosecurity Australia, (January 2007).
24 July 2007	Import conditions for prawns for human consumption are strengthened Raw prawns must now be tested for WSSV and three other diseases (Infectious Hypodermal and Haematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV), yellowhead virus (YHV) and Taura Syndrome virus (TSV) or be sourced from a country that can demonstrate it is free from these diseases. Raw prawns with the last shell segment and tail can be imported from any country and must be tested for WSSV and other diseases. ‘Highly processed’ products now include wet and dry marinated prawns, marinated prawns on skewers, and prawn dumplings/spring roll/balls/etc. The marinading provision, it is asserted, renders the prawns less appealing as bait and therefore will not increase the risk of disease introduction. Inclusion of the category will allow more uncooked prawns to be imported without testing. All products are visually inspected for signs of disease, including WSD.	Biosecurity Australia, Biosecurity Australia Policy Memorandum 2007/16: Importation of Prawns and Prawn Products – Revised Interim Quarantine Measures, 24 July 2007. Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, 38.
March 2008	IHHNV disease found in Queensland prawn farms Prawn disease Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV) is found in 2 prawn farms in Queensland. The strain of virus is very similar to that found in Asia.	Biosecurity Australia, Biosecurity Australia Advice 2008/30: Importation of Prawns and Prawn Products: Amended Interim Quarantine Measures, 12 September 2008.
12 September 2008	IHHNV removed from imported prawn tests Biosecurity Australia removes the condition that imported prawns must be tested for IHHNV following the AqCCEAD’s decision that the disease cannot be eradicated from Australia.	Jeff Waters, ‘Prawn ban faces criticism’, PM, ABC Radio, 20 March 2008. Biosecurity Australia, Biosecurity Australia Advice 2008/30.
7 October 2009	Final Import Risk Analysis for prawns and prawn products released The report assesses the ‘LR [Likelihood of Release] of WSSV via the unrestricted importation of non-viable, farm-sourced, frozen, uncooked, whole prawns intended for human consumption’ as high. The partial likelihood of exposure (PLE) to WSSV for farmed prawns is assessed as ‘low’ since they are ‘very unlikely to be exposed to imported prawn or associated wastes’. The report notes, however, that ‘feeding imported head-on uncooked prawns to adult prawns in maturation ponds and, to a lesser extent, use of imported prawns as bait for recreational fishing in prawn farm inlet channels … are potentially significant WSSV exposure pathways’. The final report recommends that imported prawns either: be sourced from a country that is free of WSSV, YHV and TSV (if not from a disease‑free source, then each batch must be tested on arrival) have head and shells removed (except for last segments and tail fan) be highly-processed (breaded, battered or marinaded) or be cooked.	Biosecurity Australia, Biosecurity Australia Advice 2009/25: Release of Final Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products, 7 October 2009. Biosecurity Australia, Generic Import Risk Analysis Report for Prawns and Prawn Products.
22 April 2010	Final import conditions for prawns determined Recommendations from the IRA are incorporated. These conditions only differ slightly from those introduced in 2007. Uncooked prawns are permitted from New Caledonia only, which Australia recognises as free of WSSV.	Biosecurity Australia, Biosecurity Advice 2010/11: Quarantine policy determination for prawn and prawn products, 23 April 2010. Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, 82.
3 April 2010	Prawn farmers jailed for illegally importing feed products A farm manager from Yamba and a company director from Mission Beach are jailed for up to 3 years each after being found guilty of illegally importing prawn feed products.	Anon, ‘Yamba prawn farmer jailed’, Daily Telegraph, 3 April 2010. Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, Official Committee Hansard, 28 February 2017, 118–120.
3 September 2010	Consignment of WSSV-infected prawns mistakenly released from Quarantine Twenty tonnes of prawn products imported from Malaysia were mistakenly released from Quarantine despite testing positive for WSSV. The products included farmed peeled raw prawns and wild-caught peeled prawns and prawn cutlets. Four out of 13 samples tested positive. It is unclear which prawns carried WSSV as all products were tested as one batch.	Kevin Dunn, Incident Review, Part II, An Examination of the Likelihood of Imported Raw Peeled Prawns That Tested Positive for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) and Were Mistakenly Released into Australia by the Biosecurity Services Group (BSG) Entering High Risk Pathways and of Then Causing WSSV to Establish in Australia, DAFF, 30 November 2010.
30 November 2010	Mistaken release of WSSV infected prawns considered low risk The Interim Inspector-General of Biosecurity reviews the release of the 20 tonnes of prawns and determines that the incident was down to human error. A total of 3.5 tonnes of the shipment was recalled and exported out of Australia. The second part of the Incident Report determines that the likelihood of the released prawns causing an infection in Australia is ‘extremely low’, and the likelihood of the released prawns causing WSSV to become established in Australia is ‘negligible’. As part of the review, a separate shipment of 8.5 tonnes of prawns that tested positive for WSSV is found to have been released on 28 July 2010.	Kevin Dunn, Incident Review, Part I, An Examination of What Caused a Consignment of Imported Raw Peeled Prawns That Tested Positive for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) to be Mistakenly Released into Australia by the Biosecurity Services Group (BSG), DAFF, 30 November 2010 K Dunn, Incident Review, Part II.
2012	WSD spreads to east Africa WSD is detected in Mozambique in 2011 and then in Madagascar in 2012. The disease is now considered widespread in the western Indian Ocean.	Marc Le Groumellec, Expert Opinion: White Spot Disease in Africa: Second Occurrence in the Mozambique Channel, World Organisation for Animal Health, 17 May 2012.
17 May 2013	WSSV detected in batches of uncooked prawns available for retail sale in Geelong The Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) advises the Department that batches of uncooked prawns imported from 3 countries and purchased at 3 supermarkets in Geelong have tested positive for WSSV. AAHL subsequently confirms the infectivity of WSSV in frozen raw prawns.	Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls.
September 2013	Second version of Disease Strategy for WSD released	Department of Agriculture (DoA), AQUAVETPLAN, Disease Strategy: White Spot Disease, version 2, (Canberra: DoA, September 2013).
2014	Irregularities in import of marinated prawns detected The Department investigates reports that inadequately marinated prawns were being re‑processed after import and sold as uncooked prawns. Under ‘Operation East Leichhardt’, 5 of 7 targeted consignments failed inspection, resulting in the re-export of 57.9 tonnes of prawn products. No prosecutions ensued.	Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls.
August 2014	AQUAPLAN 2014–2019 endorsed	DoA, AQUAPLAN 2014–2019: Australia’s National Strategic Plan for Aquatic Animal Health, (Canberra: DoA, 2014).
16 March 2016	Operation Cattai into alleged fraudulent importing practices approved The Department of Agriculture Biosecurity Compliance Unit launches the operation after receiving intelligence that importers may be circumventing import requirements.	Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, Official Committee Hansard, 28 February 2017, 139 and 143.
23 June 2016	Phase 1 of Operation Cattai investigation identifies potential compliance issues with 25 of 40 importers A survey involving the purchase and testing of raw prawns in retail outlets along the eastern seaboard identifies a range of compliance issues, including samples traced to 13 importers testing positive for WSSV.	Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, Official Committee Hansard, 28 February 2017, 144–145.
August – December 2016	Phase 2 of Operation Cattai targets prawn shipments for ‘seals-intact’ inspection Of 54 targeted consignments containing raw peeled prawns subjected to ‘seals-intact’ inspection, 57% test positive for WSSV, compared to a rate of 15% in consignments sent through the usual inspection process. Overall, Operation Cattai reveals a highly non‑compliant raw, peeled prawn trade. By late 2016, 6 major importers (handling a total of 46.7% of 2016 prawn imports) are found to be involved in systematic non-compliance with prawn import conditions. By the end of 2017, 9 importers accounting for 70% of uncooked prawn imports during 2016 are the subject of action by the Department. Operation Cattai also highlights several practical issues with the inspection and sampling of prawn consignments.	Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls.
22 November 2016	Prawns begin to die on a prawn farm in Logan River A prawn farmer notices clinical signs of WSD in prawns on his farm. After monitoring conditions over the next 2 days, and observing minor mortalities, the farmer notifies Biosecurity Queensland (BQ) on 24 November 2016. The farmer collects samples for diagnostic testing at BQ’s laboratory. The farmer notices increased bird activity around ponds.	B. Diggles, Field Observations and Assessment of the Response to an Outbreak of White Spot Disease (WSD) in Black Tiger Prawns (Penaeus monodon) Farmed on the Logan River in November 2016, report prepared for the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), 21 February 2017. Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls.
25 November 2016	Biosecurity Queensland samples affected prawns BQ officers attend farm and collect a sample of prawns for diagnostic testing. Farmer told ‘to do whatever was required to get best result from that pond’ and commences flushing pond with freshwater drawn from the Logan River and discharging pond water back into the River.	Diggles, Field Observations, 2017.
29 November 2016	Biosecurity Queensland advises farmer to drain harvest Farmer notices clinical signs of WSD in prawns in adjacent ponds and collects samples for diagnostic testing at BQ’s laboratory. BQ initially advises farmer to drain harvest; however, in the afternoon the farmer is contacted by BQ and told to isolate affected ponds. Pond flushing ceases.	Diggles, Field Observations, 2017.
30 November 2016	Preliminary diagnosis of WSD and advice to decontaminate ponds BQ notifies farmer of preliminary positive result for WSSV and advises farmer to chlorinate affected pond as soon as possible.	Diggles, Field Observations, 2017.
1 December 2016	Confirmed diagnosis of WSSV at Logan River farm Diagnostic testing by the AAHL confirms prawns are positive for WSSV. BQ emergency powers declared, and OIE notified of eradication program based on the AQUAVETPLAN, involving containment and eradication at affected farm. Movement controls applied to farm, preventing the movement of high-risk material from the farm, including prawns, some equipment and other carriers. Earthen bank bulldozed to form bund blocking outlet from settlement pond but outlet channel remains open and is not blocked off until 4 December.	Biosecurity Queensland, Biosecurity Alert: White Spot Disease Detected in Southern Queensland, 2 December 2016. Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls.
5 December 2016[33]	Second prawn farm in Logan River confirmed as infected with WSSV Signs of WSD are seen on a second prawn farm operated 1 km north of the first detection. Farm is isolated and confirmed as infected with WSSV.	DAWR, Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport, Inquiry into the Biosecurity Risks Associated With the Importation of Seafood and Seafood Products (Including Uncooked Prawns and Uncooked Prawn Meat) into Australia, [Submission no. 9, Attachment 1], May 2017. Biosecurity Queensland, Biosecurity update: White spot disease – Industry update, Current situation, 8 December 2016.
7 December 2016[34]	Third prawn farm in Logan River affected The farm is 3km downstream from the second farm infected. Signs of disease had first been noted in the ponds farthest from the water intake.	DAWR, Submission.
7 December 2016	WSSV detected in wild prawns sampled from Logan River	Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, 33. DAWR, Submission.
9 December 2016	Biosecurity Queensland imposes movement controls in vicinity of affected farms A movement control order is applied to the Logan River from Jabiru Wier and Luscombe Weir to the mouth of the river, restricting the movement of all potential carriers of WSSV [including prawns, crabs and marine worms] out of the area. The controls apply equally to recreational and commercial fishers.	Biosecurity Queensland, Biosecurity update: White spot disease – Industry Update - Restrictions imposed in Logan River to Contain Prawn Disease, 9 December 2016.
11 December 2016	Biosecurity emergency order is signed into effect by Director General of Biosecurity The emergency order, aimed at stopping the spread of WSSV, restricts the movement of WSSV carriers outside of the Logan and Albert River area and prohibits activities such as cast netting and crab-potting. It revokes the Movement Control Orders made on 5 and 8 December 2016.	Queensland Seafood Industry Association, Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport, Inquiry Into the Biosecurity Risks Associated With the Importation of Seafood and Seafood Products (Including Uncooked Prawns and Uncooked Prawn Meat) Into Australia 2017, [Submission no. 15, Attachment 1], 12 May 2017.
15 December 2016^{^[35]}	Fourth prawn farm in Logan River confirmed as infected with WSSV The farm is adjacent to the first farm where WSSV was detected and has the same operators. Clinical signs of WSD had been recorded at this farm on 12th December.	DAWR, Submission. Diggles, Field Observations, 2017
22 December 2016	Uncooked prawn bait being used by recreational fishers on the Logan River tests positive for WSSV The samples were taken on 19 December.	DAWR, Submission.
23 December 2016^{^[36]}	A mud crab in the outlet canal of a (then non-infected) prawn farm is recorded as positive for WSSV The farm is not considered infected, but ‘at risk’.	Diggles, Field Observations, 2017.
29 December 2016	Fifth prawn farm in Logan River confirmed as infected with WSSV Diagnostic testing of prawns at a fifth farm confirms presence of WSSV. All prawns in the affected pond are destroyed and pond decontaminated. A subsequent project report by FRDC notes that ‘spread between these 5 farms did not appear random. In all cases index ponds at each farm were located at the southern ends of intake canals, downwind from the mainly northerly winds at the time … Index pond location and non-random distribution of crustaceans and vectors within the intake canals suggests that the affected farms bought [sic] in the disease agent through their intake canals via unidentified, possibly planktonic, carrier hosts’.	DAWR, Submission. Diggles, Field Observations, 2017.
6 January 2017	Minister for Agriculture announces a 6-month suspension on the import of all uncooked prawns for human consumption Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, announces that the Director of Biosecurity will be suspending the import of prawn products for 6 months, pending investigations into alleged disease surveillance sample substitutions by some importers. Joyce also said that the ‘rights of one major prawn business to import had been revoked’. The declaration follows advice received by the Department on 4 January that 17 of 22 samples of uncooked prawns taken between 14–15 December 2016 from retail outlets within a 10 km radius of the incursion area were positive for WSSV.	Barnaby Joyce (Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources), ‘Australia suspends raw prawn imports’, media release, 6 January 2017. Melissa Davey, ‘Green prawn imports suspended amid white spot disease outbreak’, Guardian, 6 January 2017. DAWR, Submission.
7 January 2017	Import suspension takes effect The suspension takes effect, with all new shipments (departing overseas ports on or after 9 January 2017) of suspended imported prawn products that arrive in Australia required to be re-exported or destroyed. Exceptions include import of green prawns from New Caledonia and prawn products processed for human consumption (for example, dumplings, breaded/battered, shelf-stable dried prawns).	Biosecurity (Suspended Goods—Uncooked Prawns) Determination 2017. DAWR, ‘Federal agriculture department suspends uncooked prawn imports’, media release, 7 January 2017.
10 January 2017	Australian Prawn Farmer’s Association pushes for inquiry Australian Prawn Farmers Association executive officer, Helen Jenkins, said ‘arrangements where some biosecurity activities were entrusted to importers was akin to “putting the fox in charge of the hen house”’.	Anon, ‘Prawn farmers fish for inquiry’, Adelaide Advertiser, 10 January 2017.
21 January 2017	Movement control order brought in for Logan and Albert Rivers Carriers of WSSV such as prawns, crabs, lobsters as well as water and sediments from the Logan and Albert Rivers must not be moved outside these areas.	Queensland Seafood Industry Association, Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport, Inquiry into the Biosecurity Risks Associated with the Importation of Seafood and Seafood Products (Including Uncooked Prawns and Uncooked Prawn Meat) into Australia, [Submission no. 15, Attachment 2], 12 May 2017.
21 January 2017	Queensland commences two-year structured surveillance program for WSSV in wild stocks The program, made under section 235 of the Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), covers the whole State and its marine waters. The program seeks to satisfy the OIE requirement for targeted surveillance for 2 years without detection of the disease.[37]	Elizabeth Woods (Director-General, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) (Qld)), Program authorisation for the Surveillance Program for white spot syndrome virus under the Biosecurity Act 2014, 4 January 2019.
26 January 2017	Minister for Agriculture announces emergency aid for prawn farmers Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, announces that $400,000 in emergency aid will be provided to prawn farmers as part of a $1.74 million assistance package. The remaining funds will aid the emergency response and ongoing decontamination of affected areas, as well as ‘waterway monitoring, community engagement, surveillance and sampling and scientific and technical advice’.	Barnaby Joyce (Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources), ‘Emergency assistance for prawn disease response’, media release, 26 January 2017.
2 February 2017[38]	Sixth prawn farm in Logan River confirmed affected Prawns at a sixth farm are confirmed positive for WSSV. The infected farm was drawing water from southern Moreton Bay during the later stages of harvest.	DAWR, Submission. Diggles, Field Observations, 2017.
3 February 2017	Director of Biosecurity makes first of several amendments to the original import suspension Products exempted are: dried prawns and shelf-stable prawn-based food products irradiated bait for aquatic use, pet fish food and aquaculture feed uncooked prawns sourced from Australia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Australian caught prawns are not exempt if they have been exported to another country for processing.	Biosecurity (Suspended Goods—Uncooked Prawns) Amendment (Exceptions) Determination 2017
13 February 2017[39]	Seventh prawn farm in Logan River affected The farm, previously designated as ‘at risk’ due to positive detections of WSSV in a mud crab sampled from the outlet canal, is confirmed as infected with WSSV. A subsequent FRCD report notes that ‘This farm may have been infected from nearby [sixth farm infected] where hundreds of birds were observed wading in WSSV positive ponds on 3rd Feb.’. The report considers that the anomalous positive mud crab result detected at the outlet canal of this site on 23 December 2016 requires thorough investigation.	DAWR, Submission. Diggles, Field Observations, 2017.
16 February 2017	Senate refers inquiries into importation of seafood and seafood products to Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee Two separate referrals into the biosecurity risks associated with imports of seafood products (including prawn meat) are made initially, one with particular reference to management of the emergency response in Logan and effectiveness of existing biosecurity controls, and the other with reference to the economic impact of the outbreak and adequacy of Commonwealth resourcing of biosecurity. On 21 March the Senate adopted revised terms of reference as proposed by the Committee which would allow it to comprehensively address both issues.	RRAT Committee, Report on the inquiries into the importation of seafood and seafood products, n.d. Senate, Notice Paper, 29, 16 February 2017, 4.
17 February 2017	Queensland Government commits to reimburse prawn farmers for the costs incurred under the directions of Biosecurity Queensland	Anne Ruston (assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) and Bill Byrne (Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Qld), ‘Australian and Queensland governments working together to respond to white spot outbreak', media release, 17 February 2017.
17 February 2017	Inspector-General of Biosecurity to conduct a review into the Queensland outbreak of white spot disease The review will investigate biosecurity issues surrounding ‘the circumstances leading to the 6 January 2017 suspension of uncooked prawn imports into Australia and biosecurity considerations relevant to future trade in uncooked prawns’.	Helen Scott-Orr (Inspector-General of Biosecurity), ‘Inspector-General of Biosecurity to review the current prawn issue’, 17 February 2017.
27 February 2017	Director of Biosecurity makes second amendment to the original import suspension Products now exempted include: uncooked prawns and uncooked prawn meat harvested within Australia and sent to the external territories. uncooked prawns harvested within Australia (other than the area to which the WSSV Movement Control Order relates) exported to Thailand for processing in a facility approved by Thailand’s Department of Fisheries and re-exported to Australia. The exceptions commence on 6 March 2017.	Biosecurity (Suspended Goods—Uncooked Prawns) Amendment (Exceptions) Determination (No. 2) 2017
March 2017	WSSV detected in wild-caught prawns in north-west Moreton Bay	Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, 6.
16 March 2017	Area subject to Movement Control Order is extended Director-General of Biosecurity signs into effect a new Movement Control Order, revoking that of 21 January 2017, and extending the area subject to movement control restrictions. It is now prohibited to move WSSV carriers to outside an area extending from Moreton Bay, waterways flowing into Moreton Bay and south to the Queensland/NSW border, as well as the 100 metres eastward of the ocean beaches on the islands surrounding Moreton Bay and the Gold Coast to the Queensland/NSW border. The Order is originally scheduled to last for 3 months. At the time of writing, movement controls on prawns, yabbies, marine worms and crustaceans (other than those listed as exempt) from the white spot disease restricted area remain in place.	Queensland Seafood Industry Association, Submission, 12 May 2017.
3 April 2017	Director of Biosecurity makes third amendment to the original import suspension The variation extends the exclusion for Australian wild-caught prawns exported overseas for processing and re-exported to Australia to all remaining trading partners.	Biosecurity (Suspended Goods—Uncooked Prawns) Amendment (Exceptions) Determination (No. 3) 2017
April 2017	Research indicates high prevalence of WSSV-infected prawns in retail settings	M Landos, Assessing Compliance and Efficiency of Import Conditions for Uncooked Prawn in Relation to White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) Through Testing Retail Commodities and Comparison of Stringency of Import Measures with Other Imported Commodities into Australia, Project Report 2016–066 to the FRDC, April 2017.
3 May 2017	New outbreaks of WSSV detected in wild prawn populations in Moreton Bay	Anon, ‘Queensland shrimps hit hard by white spot’, The Fish Site, 3 May 2017.
5 May 2017	Federal Government announces $20 million assistance to prawn farmers The assistance is to ‘cover owner reimbursement costs for prawn farmers affected by the outbreak, including the costs of deferring production for 18 months as part of an agreed eradication response plan’. ‘Four million of the assistance is to be repaid by prawn farmers through an industry levy once affected producers are back on their feet’. The Minister’s announcement states that the ‘funding is on top of $1.74 million in emergency assistance already announced to date by the Coalition Government to those affected, including $1.3 million to the Queensland Government to assist with its response costs’.	Barnaby Joyce (Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources), ‘Coalition Government delivers $20 million to assist prawn farmers’, media release, 5 May 2017.
5 May 2017	Queensland Government announces it has spent $11 million on response to WSD to date The Minister notes that state government spending on the response, surveillance and sampling activities will reach at least $17.6 million in the current financial year. This is in addition to the $30 million to be made available in concessional loans to prawn farmers.	Bill Byrne (Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries (Qld)), ‘Queenslanders deserve better from Commonwealth on white spot’, media release, 5 May 2017.
15 May 2017	Director of Biosecurity makes a fourth amendment to the import suspension on uncooked prawns Uncooked prawns and prawn meat which has been marinated for human consumption and that is accompanied by a foreign country health certificate will be exempt from the import suspension, commencing mid‑July 2017.	Biosecurity (Suspended Goods—Uncooked Prawns) Amendment (Exceptions) Determination (No. 4) 2017
16 May 2017	Biosecurity Australia announces a review of biosecurity risk and import conditions for prawns and prawn products The Review of the Biosecurity Risks of Prawns Imported from all Countries for Human Consumption (the Prawn Review) will consider the biosecurity risks for the importation of cooked and uncooked prawns and prawn products from all countries for human consumption and recommend appropriate import conditions to manage the biosecurity risks.	Dr Andrew Cupit, ‘Biosecurity Advice 2017-07: Prawns and Prawn Products from all Countries for Human Consumption’, media release, 16 May 2017.
22 May 2017	Department interim report unable to determine the origin of Logan River WSSV outbreak	DAWR, Report into the Cause of White Spot Syndrome Virus Outbreak in the Logan River Area of Queensland—December 2016, Canberra, 22 May 2017, Senate Estimates, Tabled document No. 3.
1 June 2017	Department confirms action taken against 6 importers and acknowledges shortcomings in Department’s administration of inspection and testing regime A Deputy Secretary of the Department releases a statement indicating that 20,000 samples have been collected from the Logan River and Moreton Bay area, with further testing in prawn farming areas, northern NSW and elsewhere in QLD not detecting WSSV. The Department also confirms it has revoked the import permits and approval arrangements for 6 importers, citing ‘deliberate circumvention of our biosecurity controls’. Three factors are identified in allowing WSSV-infected prawns to reach retail point-of-sale: testing methods, inspection practices and importer behaviour.	DAWR, ‘Update on white spot disease in prawns’, media release, 1 June 2017.
15 June 2017	Department advises of planned interim import conditions when suspension lapses The interim import conditions are proposed to mirror those enacted under the Biosecurity Determination which was amended numerous times to allow for specific exemptions. The interim import conditions for raw prawns are expected to require pre-export and on‑arrival testing for white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and yellow-head virus (YHV).	DAWR, Biosecurity Advice 2017/10 – Planned changes to import conditions for uncooked prawns and uncooked prawn meat, 15 June 2017.
15 June 2017	Queensland Government establishes a WSSV biosecurity zone Prawns, yabbies and marine worms cannot be moved out of the WSSV restricted area that extends from Caloundra to the NSW border and west to Ipswich, unless cooked first.	Biosecurity (White Spot Syndrome Virus) Amendment Regulation 2017. Explanatory Note, Biosecurity (White Spot Syndrome Virus) Amendment Regulation 2017.
22 June 2017	Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee releases interim report of its inquiry into importation of seafood and seafood products The Committee raises concerns over communication by the Department and questions the timeliness of its actions, including the fact that relevant government and biosecurity agencies were not notified at the time of the June 2016 detections of WSSV in retail outlets. Evidence provided to the Committee by the Department also showed that the 5% prevalence rate of WSSV in import consignments tolerated under the IRA had been breached in many years dating back to 2009/10.[40]	RRAT Committee, Seafood Inquiry Interim Report.
7 July 2017	Trade in uncooked prawns resumes after 6‑month suspension with enhanced import conditions The enhanced import conditions require: all future imports of uncooked prawns – including marinated, breaded, battered and crumbed prawns – [to] be subject to 100% inspection at the border to ensure they comply with import conditions high-risk products – including uncooked prawns, marinated prawns, and Australian prawns processed overseas outside an approved supply chain – to be subject to 100% testing at the border for WSSV and YHV export country certification of all high-risk prawn products as free of WSSV and YHV prior to export. All uncooked prawns – including marinated prawns, and Australian prawns processed overseas (excluding those processed in an Australian Government approved supply chain) are consolidated into one product class: ‘uncooked prawns’.	DAWR, ‘Enhanced import conditions for uncooked prawns to take effect from 7 July’, media release, 30 June 2017. DAWR, Biosecurity Advice 2017/12 – End of prawn suspension and import conditions for prawns and prawn products for human consumption, 30 June 2017.
21 July 2017	Queensland Government announces concessional loans for prawn farmers affected by WSD Prawn farmers can apply for up to $3 million on a loan term of up to 20 years, with no fees or charges and low interest rates. The state government will make a total of $30 million available for the White Spot Disease Concessional Loans.[41]	Bill Byrne (Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, (Qld)), 'Up to $3 million available for prawn farmers affected by White Spot', media release, 21 July 2017
15 August 2017	Commonwealth Government finalises contracts with prawn farm businesses under its $20 million assistance package Payments to 5 of the 6 businesses affected by the WSSV outbreak had commenced by mid-September 2017.^{^[42]}	Barnaby Joyce, ‘Logan River prawn farmers reel in federal financial support’, media release, 15 August 2017.
31 October 2017	RRAT Committee’s Final Report into biosecurity risks of importing uncooked prawns released The Committee’s final report contains 9 recommendations, including ‘that the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources introduce amendments to the Biosecurity Act, which provide the Director of Biosecurity with appropriate secure and advice powers in relation to specified goods or classes of goods’ (Recommendation 2). The report also urges the Department to urgently complete its Prawn Review and consider updates to the 2009 IRA.	RRAT Committee, Seafood Inquiry Final Report.
12 December 2017	Inspector-General of Biosecurity’s report on uncooked prawn imports released The report finds deficiencies in the management of the biosecurity risk of uncooked prawn imports and makes 22 recommendations aimed at improving Australia’s biosecurity risk management framework. Recommendations include that the Department conduct a review of the risk mitigation measures currently in place to prevent WSSV entering and establishing, as well as a review of the sampling regime for consignments of imported prawns.	Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls.
26 March 2018	Stakeholder comment invited on the 2009 Prawn IRA and enhanced import conditions for prawns The Department of Agriculture invites submissions on the 2009 Prawn IRA and current prawn import conditions as part of its ongoing Prawn Review.	DAWR, Biosecurity Advice 2018/06 - Prawns and prawn products from all countries for human consumption, 26 March 2018.
28 March 2018	Biosecurity Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2018 introduced The Bill is drafted in response to Recommendation 13 of the Inspector-General of Biosecurity’s report and recommendations from the RRAT Committee inquiry. The Bill provides for stronger powers for the Director of Biosecurity to control products already imported into Australia. The Bill is passed, with the amendments commencing on 1 September 2018.	Australian Parliament, Biosecurity Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2018 homepage.
20 April 2018	WSSV detected in northern Moreton Bay and in prawn imports The surveillance survey of prawns and crabs in Moreton Bay finds 5 of 54 samples positive for WSSV. This resets the 2-year restriction zone. The Department of Agriculture also confirms the detection of WSSV in 7 out of nearly 400 consignments of imported prawns since the import ban was lifted.	Jennifer Nichols and Charlie McKillop, ‘White spot disease found in wild prawns and crabs in northern Moreton Bay’, ABC Rural, 11 April 2018.
May 2018	Australian Government response to RRAT Committee inquiry released The Government noted, agreed, or agreed in principle to the Committee’s recommendations. It agreed in principle that the Department ‘urgently complete its review into the import conditions for prawns and prawn products’, noting it would ‘be a complex review that ... could take some time to complete’.	Australian Government response to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee interim and final reports: Biosecurity Risks Associated with the Importation of Seafood and Seafood Products (Including Uncooked Prawns and Uncooked Prawn Meat) into Australia, May 2018.
Late May 2018	12 consignments of WSSV-infected prawns detected at border inspection According to media reports, 12 consignments of prawns inspected at the border had been found to be positive for WSSV and stopped.	Linton Besser, Peter Cronau and Richard Baines, ‘Prawns carrying white spot virus discovered in Queensland supermarkets’, ABC News, 2 July 2018.
30 May 2018	New import conditions for breaded, battered, and crumbed prawns for human consumption announced The new requirement to par-cook breaded, battered, and crumbed prawns will come into force on 28 September 2018.	DAWR, Biosecurity Advice 2018/10 - New import conditions for breaded, battered and crumbed prawns imported for human consumption, 30 May 2018.
2 July 2018	ABC Four Corners investigation ‘Outbreak’ airs The program reports finding traces of WSSV in 30% of samples taken from 10 supermarkets in south-east Queensland.	Linton Besser, ‘Outbreak’, Four Corners, transcript, ABC, 2 July 2018. Linton Besser, Peter Cronau and Richard Baines, ‘Prawns carrying white spot virus discovered in Queensland supermarkets’, ABC News, 2 July 2018.
13 July 2018	WSSV detected in wild prawns and crabs in northern Moreton Bay as part of BQ surveillance program WSSV is detected in 9 of 54 recent samples of prawns and crabs collected in northern Moreton Bay. The positive detections are in the same area as those returning positive results in 2017, suggesting that the virus has not spread. The detection resets a two-year movement restriction zone extending from Caloundra to the NSW border.	Biosecurity Queensland, White spot disease update #39, DAF (Qld), 13 July 2018.
31 July 2018	Bait supplier fined for breaching the movement control order A Gold Coast bait supplier is fined $10,000 for selling raw bait prawns harvested from Moreton Bay outside the movement control area. The bait prawns later tested positive for WSSV, however surveillance testing in local rivers and dams did not detect the presence of WSSV.	Sonia Kohlbacher, ‘Diseased prawns sold outside control zone’, The Examiner, 31 July 2018.
August–September 2018	Second round of surveillance testing for Moreton Bay, Brisbane River and Logan River Samples from 55 testing sites found to be negative for WSSV. BQ notes that this could be the result of low prawn populations in the area during winter, with WSSV appearing to be more prevalent in warmer months.	Biosecurity Queensland, White spot disease update #42, DAF (Qld), 8 October 2018.
28 September 2018	New import conditions for processed uncooked prawns and prawn products for human consumption come into effect	DAWR, Biosecurity Advice 2018/10 - New import conditions for breaded, battered and crumbed prawns imported for human consumption, 30 May 2018.
November 2018	BQ undertakes additional surveillance on the Logan River	Biosecurity Queensland, White spot disease update #43, DAF (Qld), 23 November 2018.
14 December 2018	$5 million in Commonwealth funding announced for Queensland bait prawn industry The funding will be put towards educating fishers about not using uncooked prawns as bait as well as funding local bait organisations to irradiate their catch. The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources is tasked with implementing the Bait Prawn Industry Irradiation Support measure. This includes funding for an FRDC project to test for the efficacy of using gamma irradiation to inactivate WSSV and allow bait prawns to be moved outside the Movement Control Area.	Scott Morrison (Prime Minister) and Karen Andrews (Minister for Industry, Science and Technology), ‘Backing Queensland’s bait prawn industry’, media release, 14 December 2018. Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Annual Report 2019–20, 166.
4 January 2019	Two-year extension of the WSSV surveillance program in Queensland authorised The surveillance program, authorised by the Director-General of the DAF under the Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), is extended to 21 January 2021.	Elizabeth Woods (Director-General, DAF), Program authorisation for the Surveillance Program for white spot syndrome virus under the Biosecurity Act 2014, 4 January 2019.
March–May 2019	Next round of BQ surveillance undertaken Samples are collected in Moreton Bay, Logan and Brisbane Rivers as well as more widely along the east coast of Queensland from Caloundra to Cairns.	Biosecurity Queensland, White spot disease update #45, DAF (Qld), 1 March 2019.
July 2019	BQ reports no WSSV found in latest round of surveillance testing Samples of prawns and marine worms were collected in locations within Moreton Bay, and the Logan and Brisbane Rivers. The Minister notes the fact that this is the second consecutive round of negative results. One more round of negative results would enable Queensland and Australia to be declared free of WSSV.	Mark Furner (Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries, (Qld)), ‘Prawn farmers breathe little easier after negative white spot disease tests’, media release, 21 July 2019. Biosecurity Queensland, White spot disease update #46, DAF (Qld), 16 August 2019.
11 December 2019	Importer convicted and fined for swapping WSSV-infected prawns EB Ocean, previously known as Sino Dilin, had reportedly been under investigation since mid‑2016 for allegedly swapping WSSV-infected prawns with disease-free prawns to pass inspections. The company ‘pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching the Biosecurity Act for hindering the inspection and storing prawns outside a biosecurity area, and was convicted and fined $80,000 in the County Court of Victoria’. The company tells the ABC’s 7:30 Report in February 2021 that it has ceased trading.	Michael Atkin, ‘Local industries outraged over the potential lasting impact of “dodgy” importers who violated biosecurity laws’, The 7:30 Report, ABC, 23 February 2021.
December 2019	Commonwealth Government announces a ‘white spot disease repayment levy’ The levy, to be introduced from 1 January 2020, is announced as part of the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2019–20. It will be charged at a rate of 3.01 cents per kilogram and will form ‘industry’s contribution to the assistance package for prawn farmers affected by white spot disease in the Logan River area of Queensland’. This will take the total farmed prawns levy and charge to 6.65 cents per kilogram.[43]	Josh Frydenberg (Treasurer) and Mathias Cormann (Minister for Finance), Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2019–20, 162. ‘Farmed prawns levy and charge’, DAFF.
March 2020	Next round of structured surveillance sampling undertaken by BQ Samples are taken throughout the white spot disease movement restriction area of Moreton Bay, Logan and Brisbane Rivers.	‘White spot disease surveillance’, DAF (Qld), 13 July 2018.
24 April 2020	WSSV detected at two Logan River farms It is reported that WSSV was detected in routine testing at two Logan River farms in March 2020, and also in a sample of wild shrimp caught in Moreton Bay. It is later confirmed that the virus detected at the farms is the same variant as that detected in 2016 and 2017, suggesting this is not a new incursion. Surveillance results showing positive results for WSSV are returned at 11 of the 56 testing sites.	Anon, ‘Queensland shrimp sector hit by whitespot [sic] virus’, The Fish Site, 24 April 2020. Robyn Martin (First Assistant Secretary, Biosecurity Animal Division, DAWE), Evidence to Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources Inquiry into Australian Aquaculture Sector, House of Representatives, 25 November 2021, 4. ‘White spot disease surveillance’, DAF (Qld).
14 May 2020	New interim import conditions for uncooked prawns and prawn products for human consumption released Uncooked prawns arriving in Australia on or after 1 July 2020 must now have undergone deveining in order to manage biosecurity risks posed by Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) virus.	DAWE, Animal Biosecurity Advice 2020-A03 – Interim import conditions for uncooked prawns and prawn products imported for human consumption into Australia, 14 May 2020.
28 September 2020	*Draft of Prawn Review* Report released by DAWE** The draft risk review report proposes that prawns continue to be imported into Australia. The only proposed change to biosecurity measures from those already operating under the interim import conditions is an increase in the number of pathogenic agents that an exporting country or compartment must be free from in order to be recognised as ‘disease‑free’.[44] A total of 17 submissions are received in response to the draft report, 12 of which are published.	DAWE, Review of the Biosecurity Risks of Prawns Imported from all Countries for Human Consumption: Draft Report, (Canberra: DAWE, September 2020).
6 October 2020	Government announces a 12 month reduction in the white spot disease repayment levy As part of the 2020–21 Budget, a temporary reduction in the white spot disease repayment levy and export charge component on farmed prawns is announced. The rate will drop from 3.01 cents per kilogram to nil for a period of 12 months, going back up to 3.01 cents per kilogram from 1 January 2022. The move comes in response to a request from the Australian Prawn Farmers Association (APFA).	Australian Government, Budget Measures: Budget Paper no. 2: 2020–21, 6. ‘Changes to the farmed prawns levy and charge – effective 1 January 2021’, DAWE.
15 December 2020	FRDC report finds that WSSV now ‘embedded in the food chain’ Sampling of WSSV vectors such as non‑commercial species of crabs and plankton in northern Moreton Bay and the Logan River during April and May 2020 finds a wide range of taxa are positive for WSSV. The report concludes ‘that WSSV has become embedded in the lower trophic levels of aquatic food chains in northern Moreton Bay and the Logan River’, meaning it is likely to remain in the region for the foreseeable future. The report also notes improved biosecurity protocols on the Logan River farms are likely insufficient to exclude WSSV vectors from the farm canals.	B. Diggles, Survey for WSSV vectors in the Moreton Bay White Spot Biosecurity Area, FRDC Project No. 2019–214 (December 2020).
18 Feb 2021	Biosecurity Amendment (Strengthening Penalties) Bill 2021 introduced The Bill responds to the Inspector-General of Biosecurity’s recommendation of stronger powers to impose sanctions or on-the-spot fines for serious non-compliance. The Bill seeks to increase the maximum financial penalties that can be imposed under the Biosecurity Act 2015 up to $1.11 million. The Bill receives Royal Assent, with the amendments commencing on 30 June 2021.	Australian Parliament, Biosecurity Amendment (Strengthening Penalties) Bill 2021 homepage. David Littleproud (Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management), ‘Tougher penalties for those who try to undermine Australia’s biosecurity laws’, media release, 18 February 2021.
April 2021	DAWE’s Scientific Advisory Group publishes its assessment of the draft Prawn Review Report The Group recommends amendments to the final Prawn Review report, including: a design and implementation plan for testing for other exotic diseases; a clearer explanation of the potential economic impacts of disease introduction to Australia; and an acknowledgment that the most likely cause of the 2016 outbreak of WSSV was via the use of imported raw prawns for bait and berley.	Joanne Daly, Stephen McCutcheon and Will Zacharin, Expert Panel Review of the Draft Report on The Review of Biosecurity Risks of Prawns Imported from all Countries for Human Consumption, September 2020, report prepared for DAWE, April 2021.
1 April 2021	House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources launches inquiry into the Australian aquaculture sector The inquiry will report on the current status of the aquaculture sector as well as opportunities for expansion.	House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, Australian Aquaculture Sector, inquiry website. Rick Wilson (Chair, House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee) ‘Diving into Australian aquaculture’, media release, 6 April 2021.
May 2021	APFA calls for equivalent treatment of prawns out of the movement restriction area as at the border In its submission to the Committee inquiry into Australian aquaculture, APFA highlights biosecurity issues as a barrier to growth of the industry. It also notes that prawns must be cooked to move out of the restriction area, but that this measure is not being proposed for border restrictions as part of the Prawn IRA Review.	APFA, Submission to the House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources inquiry, Australian Aquaculture Sector, [Submission no. 6], May 2021.
May 2021	First harvest of prawns by some of the Logan River prawn farms affected by the 2016–17 outbreak Some of the Logan River prawn farms are able to return to production and complete their first harvest since the 2016–17 WSD outbreak.	Robyn Martin, Evidence to House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, Inquiry into the Australian Aquaculture Sector, 25 November 2021, 4.
24 June 2021	FRDC representative suggests that Australia should ban uncooked prawn imports In evidence to the House Committee’s Inquiry into Australia’s aquaculture sector, the Managing Director of FRDC notes that policy on prawn imports should be brought into line with that for pork: all imports should be cooked.	Patrick Hone (Managing Director, FRDC), Evidence to House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, Inquiry into the Australian Aquaculture Sector, 24 June 2021, 5.
4 August 2021	FRDC launches new project aimed at understanding the process of WSSV transmission The ‘commercial-in-confidence’ project is due to be completed by 9 March 2022.	‘Understanding white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) transmission in Moreton Bay - epidemiological modelling of surveillance data’, FRDC Project 2020-074, FRDC.
10 August 2021	Guidelines released allowing ‘compartments’ within overseas countries to export uncooked prawns to Australia The guidelines allow authorities within overseas exporting countries to register to have a disease-free compartment assessed (including an in-country verification visit). All assessments remain on hold until the finalisation of the Prawn Review.	DAWE, Animal Biosecurity Advice 2021-A03 – Guidelines for the evaluation of overseas compartments exporting uncooked prawns to Australia, 10 August 2021.
18 October 2021	Proceedings for a class action against the Commonwealth of Australia filed in the Queensland Supreme Court A class action is brought by a specific group of parties who suffered losses in the 2016 Logan River WSD outbreak. The proceedings allege that DAWE ‘negligently failed to discharge its biosecurity obligations, which resulted in losses suffered by persons involved in the Australian commercial prawn, seafood and bait industries’.	‘Prawn White Spot Class Action’, Omni Bridgeway.
25 November 2021	Department confirms WSSV now endemic in Moreton Bay and cannot be eradicated The House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources hears evidence that WSSV is now endemic in wild populations of crustaceans in Moreton Bay, meaning it cannot be eradicated and must be contained via movement restrictions.	Robyn Martin, Evidence to House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, Inquiry into the Australian Aquaculture Sector, 25 November 2021, 4.
8 February 2022	House Committee tables its report on the Australian aquaculture sector The report notes that biosecurity is ‘critical to the viability of individual aquaculture ventures’ and that industry concerns regarding the adequacy of biosecurity was understandable, given the experience with WSD.	House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, Supporting a Strong Future for Australian Aquaculture, (Canberra, House of Representatives, 2022).
18 August 2022	WSSV detected in NSW prawn farm WSSV is detected during routine testing of broodstock prawns at a biosecure facility on a prawn farm on the north coast of NSW. All prawns at the facility are destroyed and enhanced biosecurity measures and movement controls are put in place until decontamination activities are completed. Following surveillance and testing for all potential entry pathways, ‘there was no evidence to determine the origin of the WSSV infection’. No further surveillance will be undertaken. Genetic analysis of the virus indicates that it is of separate origin to the strain detected in Queensland.	‘White spot disease’, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, National Pest & Disease Outbreaks, n.d.
13 December 2022	AQUAPLAN 2022–27 released AQUAPLAN 2022–27 seeks to address 7 objectives — including surveillance emergency preparedness — and is accompanied by an implementation plan, a monitoring and evaluation plan, and a communication and engagement plan.	Murray Watt (Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Minister for Emergency Management), ‘New national plans to strengthen animal health’, media release, 13 December 2022. ‘AQUAPLAN – Australia’s National Strategic Plan for Aquatic Animal Health’, DAFF.

[1]. Decapod crustaceans are characterised by the presence of 5 pairs of thoracic legs and are primarily marine animals found in warm, shallow tropical waters: ‘Decapod crustacean’, Britannica.

[2]. World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), ‘Infection with White Spot Syndrome Virus’, chap. 2.2.8 in Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals, 8th ed. (Paris: OIE, 2021). Chapter last updated in 2018.

[3]. OIE, ‘Infection with White Spot Syndrome Virus’, 198.

[4]. OIE, ‘Infection with White Spot Syndrome Virus’; Chris Baldock, Environmental Impact of the Establishment of Exotic Prawn Pathogens in Australia: a Consultancy Report to AQIS, (Canberra: Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, March 1999), 22.

[5]. A copepod is a small aquatic crustacean, measuring between 1 and 10mm in length: ‘Copepoda’, University of Tasmania.

[6]. Baldock, Environmental Impact, 19–20.

[7]. I. East, P. Black, K. McColl, R. Hodgson and E-M. Bernoth, ‘Survey for the Presence of White Spot Syndrome Virus in Australian Crustaceans’, Australian Veterinary Journal 82, no. 4 (2004): 236–240.

[8]. Baldock, Environmental Impact.

[9]. G. Stentiford, D. Neil, E. Peeler, J. Shields, H. Small, T. Flegel, J. Vlak, B. Jones, F. Morado, S. Moss, J. Lotz, B. Bartholomay, D. Behringer, C. Hauton and D. Lightner, ‘Disease Will Limit Future Food Supply From the Global Crustacean Fishery and Aquaculture Sectors’, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 110, no. 2, June 2012: 146.

[10]. Quarantine and Biosecurity Review Panel, One Biosecurity: a Working Partnership, (Beale Review), (Quarantine and Biosecurity Review Panel: Canberra, 2008), xlviii.

[11]. Human health biosecurity issues are administered under the Biosecurity Act 2015 (Biosecurity Act) by the Department of Health. See Administrative Arrangements Order, 13 October 2022 commencing on 14 October 2022, and Head Memorandum of Understanding for the Collaborative Working Relationship Between Department of Agriculture and Water Resources … and Department of Health, 19 October 2017, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) website. The Biosecurity Act replaced the Quarantine Act 1908.

[12]. Biosecurity Act 2015, section 5.

[13]. ‘National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement 2.0’, DAFF.

[14]. Biosecurity Act 2015, sections 540 and 566A. The position of Inspector-General of Biosecurity was not included in the original Biosecurity Bill 2014, with relevant amendments made in the Senate: Biosecurity Bill 2014, Schedule of Amendments Made by the Senate, Senate, Canberra 2015.

[15]. Biosecurity Act 2015, subsection 567(1).

[16]. ‘Inspectors-General of Biosecurity’, Inspector-General of Biosecurity, 2022?

[17]. OIE, Aquatic Animal Health Code, Article 1.3.3.

[18]. OIE, Aquatic Animal Health Code, Article 1.1.3.

[19]. ‘The National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases’, DAFF website, last updated 11 November 2022.

[20]. ‘Chief Environmental Biosecurity Officer’, DAFF website, last updated 6 April 2021.

[21]. House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources, Supporting a Strong Future for Australian Aquaculture, (Canberra: House of Representatives, 2022), 5.

[22]. ‘Agricultural commodities and trade data’, Agricultural commodities: September quarter 2022 - Statistical tables – data tables’, Table 13 and Table 17, ABARES.

[23]. See ABARES, Fishery status reports 2022, (Canberra: ABARES, November 2022) for production and value of the harvest in each of these fisheries.

[24]. See: Raelene Trenaman and Edith Gippel, Aquaculture Production Report 2020–2021, (NSW: Department of Primary Industries, January 2022); Rebecca Schofield, Ross Lobegeiger Report to Farmers—Aquaculture Production Summary for Queensland 2020–21, (Queensland: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, 2020).

[25]. Robert Curtotti, Harrison Tuynman and Michael Dylewski, Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture: Outlook to 2026–27, (Canberra: ABARES, March 2022), 15.

[26]. Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), ‘Prawn Venture Heralds Aquaculture Step-up’, FISH 27, no. 2, June 2019; Jessica Johnston, ‘Exmoor Station Prawn Farm Part of Northern Aquaculture Boom’, North Queensland Register, 28 July 2020; Sue Neales, ‘Scale Up’, AgJournal, March 2021, 25.

[27]. ‘Exmoor Station Prawn Farm Project’, Projects discontinued or on hold, Queensland Government, State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, last updated 9 November 2021; Matt Brann and Stephanie Sinclair, ‘Seafarms' share price tanks after review declares Project Sea Dragon prawn farm unviable’, ABC News, 31 March 2022.

[28]. Of this amount, $21.5 million was reimbursed by the Australian and Queensland Governments and a further $30 million has been pledged for concessional loans. See: Helen Scott-Orr, Brian Jones and Naveen Bhatia, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, (Canberra: DAWR, 2017), 7; Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee (RRAT Committee), Biosecurity Risks Associated with the Importation of Seafood and Seafood Products (Including Uncooked Prawns and Uncooked Prawn Meat) into Australia: Interim Report (Seafood Inquiry Interim Report), (Canberra: The Senate, June 2017), 6, Table 1.1; Barnaby Joyce (Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources), ‘Logan River prawn farmers reel in federal financial support’, media release, 15 August 2017.

[29]. Of the Commonwealth Government funding for control measures, $1.7 million was provided in 2016–17 and a further $20 million in the 2017–18 Budget, see: Scott-Orr, Uncooked Prawn Imports, 7.

[30]. Mark Furner (Qld Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries), ‘Prawn farmers breathe little easier after negative white spot disease tests’, media release, 21 July 2019.

[31]. Sean Parnell, ‘Prawn farm launches $40 million suit over white spot losses’, In Queensland, 27 January 2021.

[32]. See also: OIE, ‘Infection with White Spot Syndrome Virus’, 205.

[33]. Date given as 6 December in Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, (Canberra: DAWR, 2017), 33.

[34]. Date given as 9 December 2016 in Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, 33, and as 8 December 2016 in B. Diggles, Field Observations and Assessment of the Response to an Outbreak of White Spot Disease (WSD) in Black Tiger Prawns (Penaeus monodon) Farmed on the Logan River in November 2016, report prepared for the FRDC, 21 February 2017.

[35]. Date given as 14 December in Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, 33.

[36]. This date is given as 6 January 2017 in DAWR, Submission to the RRAT Committee, Seafood Inquiry, [Submission no. 9, Attachment 1], May 2017

[37]. OIE, Aquatic Animal Health Code, Chapter 9.8 Infection with White Spot Syndrome Virus, 2022, Article 9.8.5, clause 4.

[38]. This date is given as 27 January 2017 in Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Uncooked Prawn Imports: Effectiveness of Biosecurity Controls, 33.

[39]. Date given as 11 February 2017 in Diggles, Field Observations, 2017.

[40]. RRAT Committee, Seafood Inquiry Interim Report, 40.

[41]. RRAT Committee, Biosecurity Risks Associated with the Importation of Seafood and Seafood Products (Including Uncooked Prawns and Uncooked Prawn Meat) into Australia, (Seafood Inquiry Final Report), (Canberra: The Senate, 31 October 2017), 27.

[42]. RRAT Committee, Seafood Inquiry Final Report, 29.

[43]. ‘Changes to the farmed prawns and charge rate – Effective from 1 January 2020’, DAFF.

[44]. DAWE, Review of the Biosecurity Risks of Prawns Imported from all Countries for Human Consumption: Draft Report, (Canberra: DAWE, September 2020), 260–263.

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