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Myzomela wrote:
The recent paramyxovirus outbreak in pigeons, however, HAS been linked to live domestic pigeons smuggled into Australia- and they do at least have access to legal importation.
Go figure!
So they can import one species of bird and not another??? who put these idiots in charge? (not me...I vote gun party lol)
Need more referendums methinks..
The Bitterness of Poor Quality Remains Long after the Sweetness of Cut Price is Forgotten
Just another perspective - I import a bit of bird taxidermy from Europe. The vast majority of these birds are close ringed, ex private or ex zoo birds. Only 1 in 5 parcels, labelled as taxidermied birds, gets inspected by AQIS. Of those inspected, I have had specimens passed by AQIS as appropriately packaged and released to me, despite there being faecal material visible on the birds feet or stuck to the leg ring. If AQIS can miss these details (it was the first thing I noticed) and miss entire shipments despite clear labelling, what else are they overlooking?? I suspect if they had 20 more staff they would still be missing things coming through.
Hi all, your forgetting one thing, it is not about the principles of quarantine, it is about beauracrats in Canberra making ill-informed rules and regulations without any real life experience. They do this to appease the heads of departments in the hope of getting the next promotion, who in turn appease the dep sec's and then the ministers and the govt of the day. Some snails got delivered into regional Qld because AQIS allowed shipping containers to be inspected at night and let them out of the port for delivery to country Qld. 2 were new species. At best AQIS is only good for keeping the honest honest. Look at the bungled investigation that lead to nothing happening when the smuggled citrus cuttings lead to the outbreak of citrus canker in CQ and the loss of the citrus exports. Look at the effort put into fire ant eradication that was let in beaus of a failure of AQIS. It was only last year a mature Iguana was found in the palmetum in Townsville - not the first time either. Asian honey bees are now free to roam Nth Qld, if verroa mite is not already in the country I will eat my hat - suspect it is a critical mass thing and won’t be long before we see it turn up. Many years ago a researcher in a well know institution smuggled in cuttings to improve fruit varieties, AQIS muffed the prosecution and had to pay damages to the research organisation. A well-known unit imported Panama disease a few years ago for the sole use in lab environment, only problem was that a post grad student wanted to look at how it behaved in the on-site greenhouses (no PC rating) - oops!!. Another researcher at another institution would regularly bring in fungal inoculum under his permit of allowed species (a, b , c) , but coordinated with the overseas lab to have a = f, b=x, c=z, where f, x and z where prohibited species - easy eh. Similarly many a cactus breeders are doing the same, why because you can label your prohibited species with the names of the legal ones and no one is trained or resourced to tell them apart - they all look like poppy seeds. Many quarantine nurseries substitute the imported product for local product so that if some of the imported product shows signs of disease they can eliminate just those ones and keep the remainder, where as if they didn’t AQIS will destroy the lot. Most of the systems for AQIS exports know rely on third party accreditation - you know! - where the people exporting the product get accredited by AQIS to undertake their own "independent" inspection - this of course is in keeping with their shared responsibility motto - and of course $ will never influence the exporter when it comes to rejecting a load for export, just tell that to the bakery in NZ that found several dead cats in their wheat containers. AQIS runs stats on leakages rates at airports and ports, they know at best they will get only about 70% of that coming through the borders. That is why they have a dedicated team to go and mop up when Mr Blogs complains about his borer infested cabinet falling apart.
If you want to walk through the airports tomorrow with eggs you could do it and walk straight out of the airport, even if you’re detected by the detector dogs - when you know how. This is particularly more so from low risk countries where there is likely to be no detector dogs on at the border e.g. NZ. Even if they are on, they are easy to bypass if you know how. The management at AQIS are at best beauracrats looking for the next promotion, the running of the regional offices is not about effective barriers it is about $, risk minimization and most importantly keeping things out of the media and keeping the Ministers and Govt Happy.
As Danny said if they had 20 more staff they would still miss things in part because they employ people without credentials and also because the people at the top are not anyway knowledgeable in the sciences, they are whimpering snivelling beauracrats trying to keep the ministers happy.
There is smuggling going on everyday - why because they can, why because they can have what you don’t, why because they can breed, propagate and sell something you don’t have.
Your taxes are going to an organisation that is at best partially effective.
Don’t get me wrong I am for subsidized and legalized imports and don’t condone smuggling one iota, what I do hate is the facade that AQIS pretends to be.
So AQIS is just like every other government department - no surprise. To me the real test is whether AQIS is actually less efficient than local councils. In my world local councils, in particular passing and setting conditions for DAs, are the benchmark when it comes to inefficiency and nonsense.
Gee, Trilobite, don't beat around the bush!!
I just went through my old VAC (Victorian Avicultural Council) Newsletters and realised that AQIS has been playing us for years.
Importation was beginning to be delayed as the old NEBRS system was being established. The carrot was that importation MAY be easier if we played ball with the NEBRS. That wasn't happening so importation started to stagnate.
AQIS completed risk assessments back then for shamas and crowned cranes to enter A-class zoos. Taronga wanted kiwis, it was done; more recently, Melbourne Aquarium wanted penguins from NZ, done. Meanwhile, the Association of Avian Veterinarians got our birds stopped but - surprise, surprise - poultry and racing pigeons ($$$$$) still enter.
It was the Snowdon Report in consultation with aviculture that got Tottens Island and Spotswood Facilities built but we get no more use out of them.
I could never want anyone to risk our birds, wildlife and agriculture by breaking the law but that is not the point. I believe AQIS is less than open and helpful with us.
I also don't believe that smuggling birds into the country is that easy. Otherwise, why are some birds not resurrected drmatically. Why would some people feel the need to bastardise our Aberdeens? I think there is a fair level of security (I hope!)
Myzomela wrote:That's correct Tiaris. I guess it's because most parrot smuggling these days seems to involve eggs, not live birds. Therefore, any diseases encountered tend to never make it out of the nursery.
The recent paramyxovirus outbreak in pigeons, however, HAS been linked to live domestic pigeons smuggled into Australia- and they do at least have access to legal importation.
Go figure!
Wasn't there an egg importation facility proposed for use in SA at the same time the live bird one in Spotswood was to be used? Did this ever get off the ground?
G'day Uraeganthus. It is not that it is not easy, it is just that we dont see a lot of it - are you going to advertise what you have done or breed up what you have and trade on the underground market until enough are out and about that the authorities will not know where to point the finger. Why would I waste my time importing a bird that is already here, that when strengthened with new blood will only sell for not much more then a cut throat. On the other hand look at the Violet Eared Waxbill, Purple Granidier etc. When next in Sydney go and have a look at the "well known" aquariums and see what is in there that is not on the import list. Qld is trying to eradicate the red eared slider - now it didnt swim across the oceans to take up residence in our waterways by itself.
Unfortunately AQIS reacts adversely to politcial or media attention and will do what it takes not to be in the spotlight. Just look at the live cattle debacle to Indo last year, they knew about the goings on well before the wildlife warriors brought it to the light of day. AQIS will react to the big squeaky wheel or at least the wheel with the biggest political cogs. Unfortunately the squeaky wheels usually have some monetry or polictal persuasion.
Now I will put my soap box away this time when I hop off it.
I was under the impression that Torrens Island Q Station was closed in the mid 90s. I did bring a dog through the facility in the late 80s and while I cant comment on the actual kennel section, as I wasnt allowed in there, the open air, caged, grassed area where I could visit the dog twice while kept in Q was well kept, although some of the outbuildings looked past their best and not used.
Diane The difference between Genius and Stupidity is, Genius has it’s limits
Myzomela wrote:That's correct Tiaris. I guess it's because most parrot smuggling these days seems to involve eggs, not live birds. Therefore, any diseases encountered tend to never make it out of the nursery.
The recent paramyxovirus outbreak in pigeons, however, HAS been linked to live domestic pigeons smuggled into Australia- and they do at least have access to legal importation.
Go figure!
Wasn't there an egg importation facility proposed for use in SA at the same time the live bird one in Spotswood was to be used? Did this ever get off the ground?
It is open and in use. I have an importation of chicken eggs I am waiting on for May 2013. After this the facility will be closed and a newer, bigger facility will be getting built.
