The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has marked the 30th year of its PestFacts WA service, a state-wide intelligence system for identifying and managing agricultural pest and disease threats. The free service, co-funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), provides landholders, including agritourism operators, with timely data and expert analysis to protect crop and pasture assets from biosecurity risks that can impact revenue and operational stability.

Strategic Value for Agribusiness

The primary function of the PestFacts WA service is to act as an early warning system, mitigating the risk of significant production losses and protecting profit margins. For agritourism businesses, where the health and aesthetic quality of land, crops, and pastures are core assets for the visitor experience, proactive pest management is a critical operational concern. The system relies on a network of on-ground reports from contributors across the Wheatbelt and other agricultural zones, providing region-specific alerts that allow for rapid and targeted management responses.

Over its three decades of operation, the service has processed more than 50,000 reports and has been instrumental in detecting new biosecurity incursions, such as the Russian wheat aphid in the Esperance port zone in 2020. This surveillance function provides a layer of security for the state’s agricultural sector.

Available Management Resources

The service has evolved from a facsimile-based report to a comprehensive suite of digital tools designed for practical use in business operations. Operators can access a range of resources to inform their management strategies:

• PestFacts WA e-newsletter: Regular updates delivered during the growing season.
• PestFacts WA map: An online, interactive map detailing current pest and disease occurrences.
• PestFacts WA Reporter app: A mobile application for rapid in-field pest and disease identification and reporting.
• Insecticide Spray Guides: Technical guides to inform chemical application decisions.
• Training and Webinars: Annual courses and seasonal webinars on insect and plant disease management.

Investment from the GRDC is focused on strengthening the integration of surveillance, diagnostics, and communications to ensure the service maintains its capability to respond to emerging risks.

The WAAA News Team