Agricultural Technicians and Inspection Officers
Provide technical support to Managers and Professionals engaged in agriculture, and perform tests and experiments including inspecting animals, plants and agricultural produce and facilities, to ensure compliance with government and industry standards.
A shift at the border and in the paddock
You are an agricultural technician and biosecurity inspector, working a shift at the airport and then visiting a farm. It is 7am at the airport. A flight has just landed with two hundred people, many carrying bags of food. You have a small team, a detector dog and a long morning ahead.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
It's just some dried fruit and a few seeds from my mother's garden overseas. They're sentimental. Surely something so small can't hurt. Please don't take them. My mother passed away last month.
Let her keep them, since they are small and sentimental and the rest of her luggage is already clear
You feel kind, but small seeds can carry big problems. If a pest gets in, farms across the district will be affected. Compassion matters, and the rule is there for everyone.
Acknowledge her loss, explain the risk and offer a safe way to keep a memory, such as a photo
Mrs Chen cries a little, then agrees to a photo and a treated, sealed souvenir from the shop. She leaves understanding the reason. Being firm and kind together is a skill.
Take the items firmly and move on, since the rules are the rules and there is a queue behind her
The seeds are removed, but Mrs Chen leaves in tears and complains about you. The outcome was right, and the way you handled it left a bad mark.
I've seen something strange on my trees. Spots on the leaves that I haven't seen before. I'm worried, but if I report it and it's something serious, the whole district might be shut down. What should I do?
Tell him to wait and watch for a week to see if it spreads before bothering anyone
A week is a long time for a new pest. By the time he reports it, it has spread to the neighbouring orchard. Early reports are almost always better.
Tell him not to worry, because it is probably something harmless that happens every season
It might be harmless, but you do not know. Hamish relaxes and does nothing, and the spots keep spreading.
Thank him for telling you, visit the farm today and take samples
The samples show a common, manageable disease, and Hamish is relieved. If it had been serious, his early report would have saved a great deal. A farmer who reports early should always be thanked.
The sample you sent has come back inconclusive. I can run it again, but that will take two more days. The farmer is waiting for an answer. What do you want me to do?
Tell Bec to rerun it carefully, and ring the farmer to explain the delay
The second test gives a clear answer. Hamish is told about the delay and the cautious steps to take, and he trusts the process. Waiting for a reliable answer is part of the work.
Tell Bec to call it clear, so that the farmer can relax and get on with his week
You have turned a doubt into a false answer. If the problem is real, it will now spread unnoticed. Inconclusive means inconclusive.
Tell Bec to rerun the test, and say nothing to the farmer until you know
You get a clear result, but Hamish spends two days anxious, hearing nothing. He would have preferred to be told what was happening.
How it went
The bags were checked, a sample was properly tested and a farmer was kept informed. Agricultural technicians and inspectors protect crops and animals through careful checking, clear explanations and sometimes unwelcome news. Would you enjoy being the person standing between a pest and a farm?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The apple in the gift basket
A fictional case set in a biosecurity inspection shed at a fictional regional airport and a nearby farming district.
The situation
Tui was a biosecurity officer at a regional airport. A man arriving from overseas, Mr Reddy, had a gift basket for his sister, who ran an orchard. In it were a few apples from a region with a known fruit pest. He said they were just a present, and he'd paid a lot for them. He had already missed one meeting and was getting more upset by the minute. The next flight's passengers were arriving.
What they did
Tui stayed calm and explained that the fruit could not come in, and why: it could bring a pest that harms orchards like his sister's. She did not accuse him of anything. She showed him the sign about the risk, wrote up the item and arranged for the apples to be destroyed safely. She also offered him something practical to give his sister instead, from the airport shop.
How it turned out
Mr Reddy was embarrassed and then understanding, once he heard it was his sister's orchard that was protected. The apples were destroyed and there was no further problem. Tui went on to the next passenger, as the queue was growing, and wrote the details in her log.
What would you do?
- How would you explain a rule to someone who feels it is unfair?
- What do you think it feels like to protect farms you may never see?
- Would you be comfortable being the person who says no every day?