Agriculture threats at Australia's border with PNG

For biosecurity authorities on Australia's only international border, onshore surveillance is only half the battle.

Their respective industries might look quite different, but protecting agriculture from pests and disease is a joint effort for Australia and Papua New Guinea, which is celebrating 50 years of independence this week.

DAFF has had a strong relationship with Papua New Guinea's National Agriculture & Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA) for decades, with investment and collaboration focused on combating everything from lumpy skin disease and foot and mouth to catastrophic horticultural pests.

At its narrowest point, the sea separating the Papuan mainland from the northernmost of the Torres Strait islands, Saibai, is only a handful of kilometres.

That proximity, tradewinds