Preventing pests and diseases
Kangaroo Island (KI) is a popular tourist destination, known for its remoteness and natural scenery.
It boasts a unique environment that is free from many pests and diseases found on mainland Australia.
Visitors to the island need to reduce biosecurity risks to help keep KI clean and safe. Find out what you can do to help.
Every time someone travels to Kangaroo Island, there is a risk that pests or diseases could be introduced. This has potential to devastate the local environment and impact agricultural industries.
Legislation is in place to protect the island, including biosecurity restrictions. Read more in the KI Biosecurity Strategy 2017 to 2027.
Restricted items
Please do not bring the below types of items when visiting Kangaroo Island.
- Bees, honey, or bee products
- Unwashed or seed potatoes
- Declared animal and plant pests
- Fresh fruit and vegetables at risk
Ligurian honeybees are protected on KI, supporting a significant local industry. Because of their isolation, this species is vulnerable to introduced disease.
Do not bring:
- bees
- bee handling (apiary) equipment or appliances
- hive materials
- honey, honeycomb, or beeswax products.
Potatoes may carry disease which could devastate the KI seed potato industry.
Do not bring:
- unwashed or dirty potatoes for eating
- seed potatoes for planting.
You can bring washed or brushed potatoes for eating, if they are in new (unopened) packaging.
Animal and plant pests impact agricultural industries and cause environmental disasters if they are allowed to spread.
Do not bring:
- ferrets
- foxes
- rabbits
- deer
- goats
- pigs
- declared weeds, including common garden plants such as gazania, olive, blackberry, and arum lily.
You can apply for permits to keep domestic goats and pigs through the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board.
There are movement restrictions on some fruit and vegetables that:
- come from high-risk interstate areas
- pass through a declared fruit fly outbreak area in SA.
If you are travelling via an affected area on the way to Kangaroo Island, dispose of any produce that could spread pests and diseases.
Do not bring fruit and vegetables at risk of fruit fly.
When travelling to Kangaroo Island, you may encounter a random biosecurity check.
Our staff stationed at Cape Jervis Ferry Terminal and Kingscote Airport will be looking for restricted items, to keep KI free of pests and diseases.
Amnesty bins are available at all entry points to Kangaroo Island for you to dispose of any restricted items.
Prepare your car, boat, and equipment
Before travelling to Kangaroo Island, check that everything you are bringing is free of soil, such as:
- cars, machinery, and other vehicles
- camping and other outdoor equipment
- hiking boots and clothes.
These items could carry residual plant material, like weed seeds, or animal and plant diseases.
Boats, as well as diving and boating equipment, can also carry marine pests – make sure these are clean before coming to the island.
Farm biosecurity is designed to protect properties from pests and diseases being introduced and spreading.
When visiting local farms or agricultural land on Kangaroo Island, make sure you follow instructions before entering the property.
Report sightings of pests
The following animal and plant pests are not present on KI, and they would cause severe damage if introduced:
- European wasps
- declared weeds
- feral deer
- feral goats
- feral pigs
- ferrets
- foxes
- wild rabbits.
If you see any of these species while on Kangaroo Island, please report it immediately.
Help KI locals with biosecurity
Kangaroo Island Biosecurity
Welcome to Kangaroo Island. Our home. A place that's pretty unique.
Our secluded location helps keep our industries and our natural environment free of disease.
We protect our island as if our future depends on it. Because it does.
Kangaroo Island is known for its disease-free soils.
Together, our growers produce about 16% of Australia’s seed potatoes.
The island is also home to the purest strain of the Ligurian bee left in the world.
Not bringing honey products to Kangaroo Island will help us protect the unique Ligurian bee.
Kangaroo Island's natural environment has had a tough time over the last few years. Now, more than ever, it’s important to protect it from plant pests.
Pest animal species also threaten the island's native wildlife, like our beautiful KI Echidna.
Marine pests don't just threaten our biodiversity, but also our fishing, aquaculture and tourism, which are all lifelines for our locals.
If you have any items you are unsure about, put them into the amnesty bins at the ferry terminal or at the airport.
Remember, our team work really hard to keep Kangaroo Island free of disease by conducting random biosecurity checks.
Help us to protect our island home. Our best defence against biosecurity threats is you.
Contact
If you have any questions, or need to report a pest plant or animal, please contact our KI Biosecurity Team Leader:
PIRSA Kingscote office
Shop 7, The Mall, 56 Dauncey Street
Kingscote SA 5223