This page contains known pests and diseases that have been specifically listed as “notifiable”, meaning any new detection of the disease or pest in Tasmania (or a part of Tasmania where the pest or disease is not known to occur) is a reportable “biosecurity event”.
Section 73 of the Biosecurity Act 2019 (the Act) imposes mandatory notification requirements in respect of biosecurity events, which apply to specified classes of persons and require notification of the biosecurity event to an authorised officer as soon as practicable after the person becomes aware of the biosecurity event.
Definition of "prohibited matter"
Section 20 of the Act defines "prohibited matter" as follows:
20. Prohibited matter
(1) The Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette, declare any biosecurity matter, or class of biosecurity matter, to be prohibited matter if the Minister is satisfied on reasonable grounds that –
(a) the biosecurity matter, or class of biosecurity matter, poses a significant biosecurity risk to Tasmania or a part of Tasmania; and
(b) the declaration is necessary to prevent, eliminate, minimise, control or manage the biosecurity risk posed by the biosecurity matter or class of biosecurity matter.
(2) The Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette, declare any carrier, or class of carriers, to be prohibited matter if the Minister is satisfied on reasonable grounds that –
(a) the carrier, or class of carriers, poses a significant biosecurity risk to Tasmania or a part of Tasmania; and
(b) the declaration is necessary to prevent, eliminate, minimise, control or manage the biosecurity risk posed by the carrier or class of carriers.
(3) A declaration under this section may make provision for transitional arrangements –
(a) for the lawful disposal, treatment or destruction of any biosecurity matter, or carrier, that becomes prohibited matter as a result of the declaration; and
(b) that specify certain provisions of this Act as not applying in respect of such disposal, treatment or destruction of the biosecurity matter or carrier.
Prohibited matter is biosecurity matter or carriers assessed to be of greatest biosecurity concern. A person cannot possess or engage in any form of dealing with prohibited matter without a special permit – a prohibited matter permit.
Current prohibited matter is as follows:
Invasive animals
Animals (invertebrates)
Coleoptera (beetles & weevils)
Bruchus pisorum
| pea weevil
|
Heteronychus arator
| African black beetle, black lawn beetle |
Hylotrupes bajulus
| European house borer |
Scolytus multistriatus
| elm bark beetle |
Trogoderma variabile
| warehouse beetle |
Diptera (flies)
Bactrocera tryoni
| Queensland fruit fly, Qfly, QFF
|
| Ceratitis capitata | Mediterranean fruit fly |
Liriomyza huidobrensis
| Serpentine leaf miner |
Hemiptera (bugs, aphids, mealybugs, pysllids, whitefllies & scale insects)
Bemisia tabaci
| silverleaf whitefly, poinsettia whitefly
|
Bactericera cockerelli syn.
Trioza cockerelli
| tomato/potato psyllid |
Daktulosphaira vitifoliae
| grape phylloxera
|
Hymenoptera (ants, bees & wasps)
Solenopsis invicta
| red imported fire ant
|
Isoptera
Coptotermes acinaciformis
| subterranean termite
|
Coptotermes frenchi
| subterranean termite
|
Coptotermes lacteus
| milk termite, subterranean termite
|
Molluscs (snails & slugs)
Lymnaea viridis syn. Austropeplea viridis
| green pond snail |
Pseudosuccinea columella
| American ribbed fluke snake
|
Nematodes
Anguina agrostis syn.
Anguina lolii
| ryegrass nematode |
Anguina funesta
| bent grass nematode |
Globodera rostochiensis
| yellow potato cyst nematode, PCN |
Plant products
Prohibited seeds
Any seed (being a seed that has been dried, preserved or otherwise processed for the purpose of propagation) of the following species of plants, is declared to be prohibited matter for the purposes of the Act:
Cannabis spp.
| Indian hemp
|
Papaver bracteatum Lindl (syn. Callomecon brateum, Papaver lasiocalyx, Papaver pollakii, Papaver pulcherrimum)
| Great scarlet poppy, Scarlet poppy, Persian poppy, Iranian poppy
|
Papaver somniferum (incl. Papaver sominferum var. paeniflorum)
| Opium poppy, Oil poppy, Peony Poppy |
Plant diseases
Bacteria
Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv.
flaccumfaciens
| bacterial blight of legumes
|
Erwinia amylovora
| fire blight of apples and pears
|
Pseudomonas syringae pv.
striafaciens syn.
Pseudomonas striafaciens
| bacterial stripe of barley, barley black node
|
Ralstonia solanacearum syn.
Pseudomonas solanacearum
| bacterial wilt of potato
|
Xanthomonas campestris pv. cucurbitae
syn.
Xanthomonas cucurbitae
| of cucurbita spp., including pumpkin spot and cucurbits leaf spot
|
Fungi
Alternaria mali
| apple spot of ornamentals
|
Ceratocystis fimbriata
| |
Colletotrichum lupini
| lupin anthracnose
|
Didymella rabiei syn. Ascochyta rabiei
| chickpea blight
|
Ophiostoma spp.
| Dutch elm disease
|
Phacidiopycnis tuberivora
| potato rot
|
Urocystis cepulae Frost
| onion smut
|
Freshwater Algae
Aegagropila linnaei
| Marimo Mossballs
|
Didymosphenia geminata
| Didymo, rock snot
|
Phytoplasmas
Viruses
Capsicum chlorosis virus
| CaCV
|
Iris yellow spot virus
| IYSV |
Potato spindle tuber viroid
| PSTVd |
Tomato leaf curl virus
| see Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (below)
|
Tomato yellow leaf curl virus
| TYLCV |
Exotic animal diseases
Diseases associated with multiple terrestrial animal species
Infection with
Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax)
|
Infection with Australian bat lyssavirus |
Bluetongue (clinical disease) |
Infection with Borna disease virus |
Infection with
Brucella canis |
Infection with Camelpox virus |
Infection with
Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease) |
Infection with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus |
Encephalitides (tick-borne) |
Epizootic haemorrhagic disease (clinical disease) |
Infection with foot and mouth disease virus |
Infection with
Ehrlichia canis (Ehrlichiosis) |
Infection with
Ehrlichia ruminantium (Heartwater) |
Infection with
Echinococcus multilocularis |
Infection with Japanese encephalitis virus |
Infection with ovine herpesvirus-2 or alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 (malignant catarrhal fever, wildebeest-associated) |
Infection with
Pseudogymnoascus destructans in bats (White Nose syndrome) |
Infection with rabies virus |
Infection with Rift Valley fever virus
|
Infection with rinderpest virus
|
Infestation with
Cochliomyia hominivorax (New World screwworm) |
Infestation with
Chrysomya bezziana (Old World screwworm) |
Infection with
Mycobacterium bovis |
Infection with
Mycobacterium caprae |
Infection with
Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
Infection with
Trypanosoma evansi (Surra) |
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, chronic wasting disease of deer, feline spongiform encephalopathy, scrapie) |
Infection with
Trichinella spp.
|
Trypanosomosis (tsetse fly associated) |
Infection with
Francisella tularensis (Tularaemia) |
Infection with vesicular stomatitis virus |
Infestation with Warble-fly (warble-fly myiasis) |
West Nile virus infection (clinical disease)
|
Diseases associated with cattle
Haemorrhagic septicaemia (Infection with
Pasteurella multocida serotypes 6:b and 6:e)
|
Infection with
Brucella abortus |
Infection with Jembrana disease virus |
Infection with louping ill virus |
Infection with lumpy skin disease virus |
Infection with
Mycoplasma mycoides subsp.
mycoides SC (contagious bovine pleuropneumonia) |
Infection with
Theileria parva (East Coast fever) or
T. annulata (Mediterranean theileriosis)
|
Diseases associated with sheep and goats
Contagious agalactia (clinical disease)
|
Infection with Brucella melitenisis |
Infection with
Chlamydophila abortus (enzootic abortion of ewes, ovine chlamydiosis) |
Infection with
Mycoplasma capricolum subsp.
capripneumoniae (contagious caprine pleuropneumonia) |
Infection with Nairobi sheep disease virus |
Infection with peste des petits ruminants virus |
Infestation with
Psoroptes ovis (sheep scab) |
Infection with Sheep pox and goat pox virus |
Infection with Wesselbron virus |
Maedi-visna |
Pulmonary adenomatosis (Jaagsiekte)
|
Diseases associated with equines
Infection with African horse sickness virus
|
Infection with
Babesia caballi B. equi, or
Theileria equi (Equine piroplasmosis) |
Infection with
Burkholderia mallei (Glanders) |
Infection with Eastern, Western or Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis viruses |
Infection with equine encephalosis virus |
Infection with equine influenza virus |
Infection with Getah virus |
Infection with Hendra virus |
Infection with
Histoplasma farciminosum (epizootic lymphangitis) |
Infection with
Neorickettsia risticii (Potomac fever) |
Infection with
Taylorella equigenitalis (contagious equine metritis) |
Infection with
Trypanosoma equiperdum (dourine)
|
Diseases associated with swine
Infection with African swine fever virus |
Infection with Aujeszky's disease virus
|
Infection with Bungowannah virus |
Infection with classical swine fever virus |
Infection with Influenza A viruses in swine |
Infection with Menangle virus |
Infection with Nipah virus |
Infection with porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus |
Infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus |
Infection with Seneca Valley virus (Senecavirus A) |
Infection with swine vesicular disease virus |
Infection with Teschovirus A (porcine enteroviral encephalomyelitis) |
Infection with transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus |
Infection with vesicular exanthema of swine virus |
Post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome
|
Diseases associated with birds
Duck virus hepatitis |
Infection with Influenza A viruses in birds |
Infection with avian metapneumovirus (Turkey rhinotracheitis) |
Infection with duck herpesvirus 1 (duck viral enteritis/duck plague) |
Infection with
Mycoplasma iowae |
Infection with infectious bursal disease virus (hypervirulent and exotic antigenic variant forms) |
Infection with Newcastle disease virus (virulent) |
Infection with
Salmonella gallinarum (fowl typhoid)
|
Diseases associated with bees
Africanised honey bees |
Infestation of honey bees with
Acarapis woodi (Acariasis tracheal mite) |
Infestation of bees with
Tropilaelaps clareae or
Tropilaelaps mercedesae (Tropilaelaps mite) |
Infestation of bees with
Varroa destructor or
Varroa jacobsoni (Varroosis)
|
Diseases associated with finfish
Bacterial kidney disease (Renibacterium salmoninarum) |
Channel catfish virus disease |
Enteric redmouth disease (Yersinia ruckeri – Hagerman strain) |
Infection with epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus |
European catfish virus/European sheatfish virus |
Furunculosis (Aeromonas salmonicida subsp.
salmonicida) |
Infection with Singapore grouper iridovirus (ranavirus) |
Infection with
Aphanomyces invadans (epizootic ulcerative syndrome) |
Infection with
Gyrodactylus salaris |
Infection with infectious salmon anaemia virus |
Infection with salmon alphavirus |
Infection with infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus |
Infectious pancreatic necrosis |
Infection with infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus |
Infection with Koi herpesvirus (Cyprinid herpesvirus 3) |
Oncorhynchus masou virus disease |
Piscirickettsiosis (Piscirickettsia salmonis) |
Infection with Red sea bream iridoviral disease |
Sealice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) |
Infection with spring viraemia of carp virus |
Infection with Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) disease |
Viral encephalopathy and retinopathy |
Infection with viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus |
Whirling disease (Myxobolus cerebralis)
|
Diseases associated with molluscs
Infection with
Bonamia exitiosa
|
Infection with
Bonamia ostreae |
Infection with
Mikrocytos mackini |
Infection with Marteilia refringens |
Infection with
Marteilia sydneyi |
Infection with
Marteilioides chungmuensis |
Infection with
Perkinsus marinus |
Infection with
Perkinsus olseni |
Infection with
Xenohalitotis californiensis |
Iridoviroses |
Haplosporidium nelsoni infection in shellfish |
Nocardiosis of shellfish
|
Diseases associated with crustaceans
Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease
|
Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei
|
Gill-associated virus |
Infection with
Aphanomyces astaci (crayfish plague) |
Infection with
Hepatobacter penaei (necrotising hepatopancreatitis) |
Infection with infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus |
Infection with
Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (white tail disease) |
Infection with myonecrosis virus |
Infection with Taura syndrome virus |
Infection with white spot syndrome virus |
Infection with yellow head virus genotype 1 |
Monodon slow growth syndrome
|
Diseases associated with amphibians
Infection with
Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans |
Infection with Ranavirus species
|
Other biosecurity matter listings