Page Content
Philippines Banana Import Risk Analysis
DAFF04/5D
During the consultation process for the revised draft import risk analysis (IRA) report on bananas, Biosecurity Australia has been alerted to a transcription error in the electronic spreadsheet used in the estimation of risk for this particular IRA.
“The expert panel’s professional assessment of the science presented in the revised draft IRA report in relation to quarantine pests and diseases of Philippines bananas is not affected by the error. The error does not impact on other IRAs, including those for apples and pig meat,” the Executive Manager of Biosecurity Australia, Mary Harwood, said today.
“While the error could have been corrected later in the consultation process, Biosecurity Australia has decided to act now to avoid unnecessary concerns or delays. The fact that the error has been identified and corrected demonstrates the effectiveness of an open consultative IRA process.
“It appears that a transcription error in one cell of an Excel spreadsheet occurred while converting a written formula from the text of the revised draft IRA report into electronic format.
“Following confirmation from statisticians that the error has occurred, the spreadsheet has now been corrected. Preliminary assessment indicates that, as a result of this change, some quarantine measures may need to be reassessed and strengthened. I have asked the expert panel to determine what changes are required to the recommended quarantine measures as a result of the spreadsheet correction.
“Once the expert panel has advised me on this matter, Biosecurity Australia will publish an addendum to the current revised draft IRA report, documenting any changes to the recommendations which may flow from the use of the corrected spreadsheet.
“A new 60-day comment period will commence from the date of release of the addendum.
“Several stakeholders have requested a copy of the electronic spreadsheet that is used with risk modelling software called @RISK in the banana IRA. The spreadsheet will be loaded onto Biosecurity Australia’s website when the addendum to the revised draft IRA report is released,” Ms Harwood said.
Media contact:
Biosecurity Australia Kylie McKinley (02) 6272 3658 or 0417 688 981