Tasmanian outbreak 2016 – SA impact
POMS was first detected in Tasmania on 1 February 2016. For more information on the outbreak, see the Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania website.
The detection led to a ban on moving the following items from Tasmania into South Australia:
- live Pacific oysters
- oyster spat
- used farming equipment.
This ban is still in place to ensure the disease doesn't enter SA. View the current livestock movement restrictions notice in relation to Pacific oysters – South Australian Government Gazette, 19 March 2020, p. 574 (PDF).
South Australian licensed fish processors have been notified of the ban and asked not to purchase, receive or open any live Pacific oysters originating from Tasmania during the standstill. More information is available in the fact sheet for fish processors – oyster livestock standstill ().
Non-living oysters can be brought into South Australia, including those that are:
- frozen
- half shelled.
Samples from SA's 8 oyster growing regions have not detected the virus that causes the disease. However, the ban is a vital step in continuing to protect our oyster industry.
Impact on South Australian oyster spat
South Australian oyster farmers previously received regular consignments of oyster spat from well-established hatcheries in Tasmania. The movement ban has resulted in a shortfall of spat to the SA industry.
PIRSA and the South Australia Oyster Growers Association are working together to address the issues associated with the POMS outbreak in Tasmania through a dedicated, specialist working group established when the outbreak first occurred.
This effort is focused on ensuring the disease doesn’t enter SA and re-establishing spat supply.
POMS is a notifiable disease and must be immediately reported.