Weed Hygiene & Biosecurity

Weed Hygiene Certifications

(also referred to as Weed and Seed)

AA&ES is qualified to provide Third Party Weed Hygiene Inspections. Our experienced staff can provide a vehicle/machinery inspection 24hrs a day 7 days a week.

We offer these services from wash facilities located throughout the Surat Basin. AA&ES main facilities are:

• Dalby
• Chinchilla
• Miles
• Wandoan
• Taroom
• Injune
• Roma
• Rolleston

Our services include:

• Vehicle Weed Hygiene Inspections, Certificates (weed & seed)
• Weed hygiene inspections for Heavy Vehicles, Machinery, Plant & Equipment
• Clean down vehicles/machinery to minimise weed spread & go above industry standard
• 24hr Service 7 days week
• Mobile wash down trailers (providing wash down services for remote operations i.e. drill rigs)
• Supply certified wash down personnel on a labour hire basis

For a booking or schedule of rates please contact us today – info@aaaes.com.au

We are proud to be working with stakeholders of the Surat Basin to bring together a collaborative approach to pest management in the region.

AA&ES also provides in house best practice training on the most effective inspection and clean down procedure.

Invasive plants, pest animals and ants have significant economic, environmental and social impacts on Queenslanders.

AA&ES works closely with Biosecurity Queensland to keep abreast of emerging pest threats, research and management techniques. Managing Director, Ursula Keating is also the Western Qld representative on the Executive of the Weeds Society of Queensland.

AA&ES has a wealth of knowledge in pest management and associated planning with two of its staff members previously employed by the DAFF Biosecurity Queensland and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) respectively. This combined experience and industry knowledge is a valuable asset to the AA&ES organisation.

Find out more from the following documents

• Biosecurity Qld Cleandown Procedures
• Biosecurity Qld Inspection Procedures
• AQIS Machinery Cleaning Guides & Checklist
• Land Access Code 2016
• Tasmanian Washdown Guidelines for Weed and Disease Control

In Field Wash Downs

It is industry best practice that equipment is cleaned at fit for purpose clean down facilities. These are usually facilities designated and constructed by Local Government.

However, we understand the resource pressures in moving equipment to Local Government Clean Down Facilities.

AA&ES is able to assist with the planning and management of in field clean downs and the provision of qualified inspectors to conduct the work.

Our services include:

• Supervision of rig/ equipment wash downs on site or at registered pads
• In field rig/ equipment wash downs with in house portable equipment
• Labour hire of experienced qualified weed hygiene personnel
• Construction of temporary wash pad facilities
• Construction and hire of portable trailer-mounted wash down systems
• Hire of portable recyclable wash down systems (including delivery and optional supply of labour)

Weed Hygiene Training

Inspect and clean machinery, tools and equipment to preserve biosecurity

Competency unit: AHCBIO203
Delivery Date: Ongoing
Location: Flexible
Regular courses offered at Chinchilla, and other locations upon request
Course Length: One day

The purpose of this unit is to guide participants through the process of learning the skills and knowledge to inspect and clean machinery that may contribute to the spread of weeds, pests, and diseases.
The course aligns with biosecurity plans and legislation relevant to agricultural, mining and natural resource sectors. With a focus on identification of local threats and management best practices.

Course Durations

Entry Requirements

Learner Rights, Responsibilities and Support

Please note that enrolment to this course is made with Allens Training Pty Ltd RTO 90909. Please refer to the student handbook located on the RTO website allenstraining.com.au (https://allenstraining.com.au/students/student-handbook) for all details relating to rights and responsibilities including complaints and appeals.

Accreditation

AA&ES can also develop a training package to meet your in house requirements. We can conduct further training on the identification of pest plants located within the Surat Basin (or any region in Queensland).

We also offer in house training packages on the effective operation of the wash down facilities that we design. We understand the human and financial costs of stand down time for companies. As a result we have tailored training packages that teaches participants how to properly utilise facilities and have vehicles and machinery cleaned to standard in a safe and timely manner.

We can also assist with training in:

• Chemical Skill Course Set – AHCCHM307, AHCCHM304 & AHCPMG301 (to apply for Commercial Operators Licence for spraying)
• Plant Identification
• Understanding the regulatory conditions of the Queensland Biosecurity Act 2014

Consultancy

Property Biosecurity Management Planning – We are able to deliver on a suite of biosecurity management plans from property pest management plans to organisational biosecurty management planning and procedure development

Biosecurity auditing – We have experience in conducting audits on organisational policies and procedures as well as company on ground activities

Weed hygiene certification auditing – As Biosecurity management has become a major issue across the region we have assisted companies in auditing the standards of weed hygiene certifications being delivered

Weed identification and mapping (including baseline weed surveys) –  We have demonstrated industry experience with the identification of urban, agricultural and environmental weeds throughout Queensland.  We have experience in weed assessments on RoWs, easements, gravel pits, agricultural properties and proposed development sites

Weed hygiene wash down bay design consultancy – We assist with purpose built wash down bays from fully portable, semi permanent to permanent situations

Weed management reporting – we map and report on weed management from individual  properties to regional cluster sites

Pest animal management reporting – we can monitor and report on numbers and impacts of pest animals and provide a report for best practice management

Wash Down Facilities

AA&ES has worked very closely with proponents to familiarise ourselves and develop a solution to minimise downtime as a result of the requirement for a vehicle/machinery wash down and inspection.

AA&ES have the capacity to design/construct/deliver facilities that clean in a timely and effective manner, capture weed seeds and organic material, recycle water and dispose of waste.

We provide solutions to problems.

Semi-permanent Wash Down facilities

The mobility of AA&ES wash pads allows clients to relocate the wash bay on demand. The wash bay can be set up in as little as 1 day. If the wash bay is only required for a limited time it can be easily relocated and set up at the next site within days.

AA&ES is currently designing and utilising semi permanent washdown facilities for the following situations:

• Remote scouting and approvals camps where the facility can meet the demand of ATV’s and light vehicles to medium size machinery. These camps usually move up to seven times per year.
• Pipeline construction camps. Again a semi permanent facility designed for remote location specifically utilised for water recycling and filtration and the capture and disposal of waste. The facility can easily be moved on at the end of the construction front.
• Semi permanent construction camps.

ABOVE GROUND – PORTABLE – FAST SETUP

Portable Wash Down Facilities

We are always designing completely mobile systems in order to meet the following situations:

• Requirements of scouting approval teams that may be required to traverse a large number of separate properties in any one day. The clean down of light vehicles and ATV’s.
• Pipeline construction – clearing the Right of way also traversing separate properties in any given day
• Drill rigs – clean down of equipment prior to moving on to the next site. This scenario required a design that could wash heavy equipment in a short period of time to reduce stand down time
• Remote exploration and pilot operations. Portable washdown trailers designed to clean down equipment prior to leaving a property or site and moving onto another.
• Situations where field teams are constantly moving from property to property thus requiring a washdown and weed hygiene inspection. NOTE: AA&ES offers Nationally Accredited Weed Hygiene Inspection training that allows any person having been deemed competent and awarded the certification to inspect and certify their own vehicle.

Call us today for a fast, friendly and informative solution.

Property Biosecurity Checkpoints

In 2012 a CSG Proponent’s Drilling and Completions team contacted us to develop a methodology to manage weed hygiene on a property where there was significant vehicular and machinery access.

The answer was simple – purpose built Biosecurity Checkpoints.

While most Property Biosecurity Management Plans dictate one or two access points to the property, we were able to construct and establish a Biosecurity Checkpoint at these critical access areas. AA&ES trained staff manned these sites and validated all weed hygiene certifications.

Our concept proved successful and so did our purpose built checkpoint buildings. This property was one of Queenslands’ champagne grazing properties ‘Lighthouse’.

Since then we have conducted similar activities for other companies and utility service providers.

We are extremely proud to have developed a concept which is amenable to both landowners and industry. We know that it has gone a long way to protecting the biosecurity of prime agricultural land while allowing for CSG and mining developments.