Australian growers could soon save critical time and money following the announcement of a new $11m Australian plant biosecurity system, the BiosecurityTrakka, unveiled today at the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI) Symposium.
Funded by the Australian Government, Hort Innovation and Australia's six other plant‑focused research and development corporations (RDCs), BiosecurityTrakka adapts the same world‑leading genomic technology used during the COVID‑19 pandemic to help defend Australia's crops from pests and diseases.
BiosecurityTrakka addresses a long‑standing gap in Australia's biosecurity system by creating, for the first time, a coordinated, secure and scalable national platform for sharing and analysing plant pest and pathogen genomic data. By enabling faster and more accurate diagnostics, the platform will support rapid, nationally coordinated responses to biosecurity threats, helping to reduce losses for growers and protect Australia's horticulture industries.
For growers, the impact is significant. Diagnostic turnaround times are expected to reduce from eight to 12 days to just one to three days by 2028, enabling faster decision‑making and earlier containment during biosecurity events.
Currently, genomic data is collected across Australia by different agencies and laboratories, often without national standards or consistent coordination. BiosecurityTrakka will change this by establishing a unified national system under the Australian Government's data‑sharing agreement, ensuring secure access to plant pest gene and genome sequencing data across jurisdictions.
Brett Fifield, CEO at Hort Innovation, said the project is a major step forward for Australia's plant industries: "This is a powerful example of what's possible when industry, growers and government work together. BiosecurityTrakka brings pandemic-proven technology into plant health, delivering faster diagnostics, stronger national coordination and real, on-the-ground benefits for growers facing pest and disease incursions."
"The project is a strong example of innovation through collaboration, bringing together government and all seven plant RDCs to strengthen Australia's biosecurity infrastructure and safeguard the future of Australian agriculture," concluded Fifield.
NSW Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, is excited by the benefits this collaboration will deliver Australia-wide: "This is a major project that is bringing together the nation's experts to develop a world-leading tool to defend against some of the country's most invasive and destructive pests and diseases. BiosecurityTrakka will play a critical role in removing delays in DNA sequence sharing during suspected exotic pest outbreaks."
Zarmeen Hassan, National Manager - Biosecurity and Extension at AUSVEG, said the platform would be a gamechanger for vegetable growers: "Pests and diseases don't respect state borders, and delays in diagnosis can have serious on-farm and market access consequences. BiosecurityTrakka will give growers faster, more consistent diagnostics and better national visibility of emerging threats, helping protect crops, businesses and confidence across the horticulture supply chain."
Dr Clare Sloggett, Trakka Lead Developer added: "The AusTrakka development team looks forward to this collaboration in expanding the AusTrakka national pathogen genomics infrastructure to plant biosecurity surveillance. This project directly aligns with our goals to empower collaborative, secure, and interoperable data sharing for better health outcomes."
BiosecurityTrakka has been developed under the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative and will play a critical role in improving national preparedness, protecting market access and supporting long‑term grower confidence.
This PBRI coordinated project (VG24015) is funded by Hort Innovation, using the vegetable research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Co-investment is contributed by all members of PBRI including Grains RDC, Cotton RDC, AgriFutures Australia, Sugar Research Australia, Wine Australia and Forest and Wood Products Australia, and state and federal government.
