WA urged to report alien pests

West Australians are being urged to dob in an alien.

WA's Department of Agriculture and Food has released a draft of its 10-year strategy to combat exotic pests and diseases that could devastate multi-billion dollar industries.

Teaching the community to spot and report unwanted aliens is a key part of the plan because of the state's vast size and the importance of early intervention.

The department says effective biosecurity management has underpinned WA's reputation as a supplier of clean, safe, high quality food, with about 80 per cent of its agricultural production exported to international markets.

Threats that have yet to reach WA include Bovine Johne's disease and the Khapra beetle.

BJD is widespread in Victoria and estimated to cost the state's cattle producers $7.5 million annually in lost output and disruption to sales.

WA is the only BJD-free zone in Australia, allowing it to access BJD-sensitive markets such as Indonesia.

The Khapra beetle, one of the world's worst invasive species, is one of the most serious pests of stored grain products, especially under hot and dry conditions.

If the beetle became established in Australia, it's estimated the national cereal grains industry could lose about $300 million a year.

WA is already paying the price for established pests such as wild dogs, which the Pastoral Lands Board says resulted in the loss of more than 40,000 animals in the rangelands at a cost of $6.3 million in 2012.

Department spokesman John Ruprecht says WA's strong focus on prevention is critical to protecting it from pests and diseases.

Mr Ruprecht said checkpoints at Eucla near the South Australian border and Kununurra in the far north have been critical to stopping the spread of threats from interstate.

"We all need to work together. Government can't do it on its own, industry can't do it on its own and the community can't, but together there's a real opportunity," he said.

Comments on the draft WA biosecurity strategy close on March 13.