Biosecurity Careers |Stop Threats Before They Spread

Horticultural Consultancy & Agribusiness

Biosecurity Officer

Core tasks

Inspect animals, plants, and agricultural produce to identify pests and disease, and provide advice to producers.
Audit and monitor quality and hygiene procedures at farms and processing facilities to ensure compliance with required standards.
Test samples of produce for quality, size, and purity.
Advise primary producers on economic aspects of disease eradication and inform producers and the public of the health implications of diseases and impurities.
Advise on the identification of pests and diseases and on regulations pertaining to grading, packing, and loading of products.
May initiate or assist in legal action to enforce regulations.
Inspect import and export documentation.
Maintain a deep understanding of biosecurity protocols.
Conduct workshops to raise awareness and educate growers and industry of specific plant pests and disease.

The Career Pathways

A biosecurity officer provides information on plant pests and diseases, and helps farmers to identify, prevent, and eradicate threats.

Biosecurity officers frequently travel regionally and interstate to inspect produce on farms and engage with growers.

The horticulture industry takes biosecurity very seriously, outbreaks of plant pests and disease can cause millions of dollars in damage and loss.

A biosecurity officer helps to protect Australia and its’ $4.8 billion horticulture industry from exotic or local plant pests and disease.

While the Australian Border Force helps prevent many foreign pests and diseases arriving by air and shipping ports, it is vital that biosecurity officers are also out on-farm to provide another layer of defence.

Certificate III in Public Safety (Biosecurity Emergency Response Operations)

Certificate IV in Public Safety (Biosecurity Emergency Response Leadership)

Diploma of Public Safety (Biosecurity Emergency Response Management)

Maddy Quirk

"There’s no way I could do a nine to five office job — horticulture is so appealing because you can go out and about, travel to farms, and really connect with growers"

Horticultural Consultancy & Agribusiness

Watch the interview