Irreplaceable plant specimens from France destroyed in Australian quarantine blunder

A review of Australia’s quarantine procedures has been undertaken after historic and valuable plant specimens from France were destroyed by biosecurity officers.

In March, a collection of rare flowering plants sent by the Museum of Natural History in Paris to Queensland’s herbarium in Brisbane was incinerated.

Michelle Waycott, who chairs the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, said the pressed plant specimens dated back to the mid-1800s.

“They were the first type specimens collected of a species,” she said.

“That would be the equivalent of material collected in the Flinders expedition, going and then destroying those.

“So literally irreplaceable collections and of high historic and scientific value.”

Ms Waycott said it was the second similar incident in a matter of weeks.

It is understood a collection of lichen specimens from New Zealand’s Allan Herbarium destined for the Australian National Herbarium in Canberra was also recently destroyed by biosecurity officers.

“The New Zealand herbaria have now banned sending any specimens to Australia,” Ms Waycott said.

She said the French herbarium was also “very unhappy” with the loss of their collection.

“I suspect that they’re in the process of banning sending specimens to Australia now,” she said.

“They haven’t said that officially though, but that would certainly be my response if it was my herbarium this had happened to.”

Material destroyed because documents did not comply

It is common practice for herbaria around the world to swap material to help identify and understand plant species.

“We rely on sharing specimens from all over the world to be able to do our science,” Ms Waycott said.

“So it may have a major impact on our ability to do our research.

“The fact that it happened twice in the space of a couple of weeks and that they were two separate ports, two separate entry points has us very concerned.”

The Federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, which controls Australian biosecurity, declined a request for an interview.

However, in a written response, a spokesperson said the material from France which arrived in January was destroyed because the documents it came with did not comply with Australia’s import conditions…

Source: Irreplaceable plant specimens from France destroyed in Australian quarantine blunder – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)