As part of our continued commitment to improving biosecurity capabilities and reducing offshore risks, members of our staff travelled to Vietnam late last year to deliver workshops and conduct technical training activities.
These international development activities were supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Southeast Asia and Australia Government Partnerships program. The training reinforced Australia and Vietnam's shared commitment to biosecurity, safe agricultural trade, and strong regulatory cooperation.
In November, members of our International Capacity Development team met experts from Vietnam's Plant Production and Protection Department and CABI, an international research organisation, in Hanoi to deliver a technical workshop on National Pest Surveillance Information Systems.
The workshop focused on practical ways to plan and coordinate national and regional plant pest surveillance systems, including methods that support accurate pest status reporting in line with international standards.
The workshop created opportunities for Vietnam and Australia to share experiences, discuss challenges, and build confidence in using surveillance information management tools and systems.
The following month, in early December, departmental staff from our Compliance Partnerships Program partnered with Vietnam's Plant Production and Protection Department this time to deliver a 2-week program of fumigation training, compliance verification and technical mentoring under the Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme.
The program strengthened regulatory capability, aimed to improve compliance and supported the consistent application of Australia's biosecurity requirements across Vietnam's treatment industry. It included targeted methyl bromide fumigation training for government and industry participants and a train-the-trainer workshop to assist Vietnam to deliver ongoing training in-country, building sustainable capability.
While in Vietnam our officials also conducted an annual Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme joint system review to assess the effectiveness of Vietnam's fumigation and biosecurity systems. All participating companies were found to be compliant, demonstrating the success of the review framework and previous training activities.
Australia and Vietnam will continue to work together to strengthen biosecurity practices, support secure agricultural trade and reinforce a trusted bilateral partnership that delivers lasting benefits for our countries and the broader region.
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