Q&A with Victorian Grains Industry Biosecurity Officer Jim Moran
- colinbettles3
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Jim Moran has been the Grains Biosecurity Officer (GBO) for Victoria since 2009.
Managed by Plant Health Australia (PHA), the national Grains Farm Biosecurity Program (GFBP) was launched in 2007. It is funded by grain growers through Grain Producers Australia (GPA), together with the New South Wales, Queensland, South Australian, Victorian and Western Australian governments.
Below, Jim answers a few questions about himself and his role.
How did you become involved in agriculture?
I graduated with a degree in Agricultural Science from La Trobe University in Bundoora, Melbourne, in 1992. It was an unusual choice for a city kid, but it captured my attention straight away and has held it ever since.
My first full-time role was as a technical specialist with a vegetable seed company based in the wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Footscray. I learned firsthand about the fundamentals of supply and demand, price and quantity, and the many factors that influence them. I sold vegetable seeds, fertilisers, chemicals, machinery and equipment. I enjoyed engaging with growers in the market and on their properties, although I don’t miss the 4 am starts.
After five years, a wedding and a twelve-month trip around Australia, I joined what farmers still call “the Ag Department”. Now known as Agriculture Victoria, I’ve worked here for more than 25 years in a range of roles, including farm business and succession planning, environmental management system development, small-landholder engagement, grants and funding coordination, and since 2009, Grains Biosecurity Officer. I’ve also been deployed to emergency responses for fires, floods, locusts and various animal, apiary, plant pest and disease outbreaks.
What are your aims as a biosecurity officer?
My aim is to achieve strong biosecurity outcomes across the Victorian grains industry. This involves:
• undertaking regular surveillance to support early detection and rapid eradication of exotic pests and diseases • maintaining market access through evidence-based area freedom claims • improving preparedness, resilience and responsiveness among grain farmers by promoting biosecurity tools, tactics and awareness. I would love to see a biosecurity gate sign on every farm gate.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
The role is diverse, and I enjoy all its facets. I write media articles about biosecurity for magazines, newspapers and e-newsletters, which often lead to interviews on radio, podcasts or other platforms.
Our team has developed many pest and disease fact sheets, biosecurity booklets, planning tools and training resources. I particularly enjoy delivering presentations and running biosecurity training workshops.
Victoria has a “Sentinel Silo” program for Khapra beetle surveillance, and I enjoy working with farmers who host traps on their properties, as well as visiting seaports involved in the program.
Field days, conferences and GRDC updates are another highlight and a great chance to meet farmers and industry colleagues.
Are there priorities specific to your region? What are the top three?
Victoria’s top priorities are:
“Sentinel Silo” Khapra beetle surveillance
Raising awareness of biosecurity tools, tips and tactics
Distributing biosecurity gate signs and farm biosecurity booklets.
Other priorities include reducing roadside grain dumping, expanding Khapra beetle surveillance sites, increasing surveillance for the phosphine resistance project, improving awareness of containerised grain biosecurity, and preparing the grains industry for an exotic pest response.
Give an example of how your work with the Grains Farm Biosecurity Program has helped the industry.
In Victoria, distributing booklets, gate signs and surveillance tools has been highly successful. Thousands of gate signs are now displayed on farm entrances.
The “Sentinel Silo” program operates more than 100 traps across 35 locations to monitor for Khapra beetle. This evidence of absence supports area freedom claims and improves the chance of early detection and eradication if an incursion occurs.
I have incorporated biosecurity planning into whole-farm planning courses, GRDC presentations and grower forums, which has strengthened preparedness and resilience.
I have also been deployed to plant and animal emergency responses in surveillance and operations roles. This experience is valuable if any of the 300 priority grain pests and diseases reach Australia.
What’s one thing you wish more growers would do to reduce their biosecurity risk?
Control who and what enters the property, and ensure they arrive in a clean condition. Dirty boots, vehicles or machinery can carry pests, weeds and diseases that may become a management issue or, in the worst cases, halt production entirely.
Gate signs help by prompting visitors to contact the farmer before entering. The farmer can then assess risk and direct visitors to clean machinery or vehicles if needed.
What’s the most common question growers ask you, and what’s your advice?
The most common questions are about weeds, rabbits and kangaroos. There’s no single solution to these complex issues. However, they are a good starting point for discussing surveillance, prevention, control options, expert advice, community involvement, reporting and good record keeping.
What’s your vision for the future of biosecurity in Australia?
My vision is that biosecurity becomes everyone’s business. Whatever role a person plays in agriculture, biosecurity and good hygiene should be front of mind.
People will be more aware of pests, weeds and diseases that can hitchhike on people, vehicles, livestock or machinery, and will act early to avoid spreading them. Technology will support cheap and accessible surveillance and reporting tools, making it easier for everyone to contribute to detection and monitoring.
More pests and diseases will be actively monitored, giving us real-time insights into the pest-free status of the Australian grains industry.
Contact details
Phone: 0418 377 930
Spotted anything unusual? Call the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline 1800 084 881
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