Farm biosecurity – it’s easier than you think

Biosecurity is simply risk management. The risk you are managing is the chance of unwanted pests, diseases, or weeds entering your property, establishing, and spreading. From a food safety perspective, this also includes contaminants entering the food chain from incidents such as cattle finding those old batteries dumped down in the paddock.

In an ideal world, we would all be able to double-fence our boundaries, source completely risk-free livestock, feed and fodder, and prevent unwanted visitors coming onto our properties. But the reality is factors such as time and financial constraints, and some people’s tendency to wander onto farms unwanted and unannounced, all impact on our ability to implement a comprehensive biosecurity plan.

Even without a comprehensive farm biosecurity plan there are still steps you can take that will vastly reduce your risk.

If you are buying or agisting cattle or sheep, request a health statement beforehand. These documents give you additional information regarding the health status of the animals in question. A completed health statement is a legal document, similar to a statutory declaration. You can download these documents from www.farmbiosecurity.com.au. 

Check NLIS tags match the paperwork

Check the NLIS tags in the ears of the animals coming onto your property. Do they match the paperwork?

New livestock coming on-farm? Hold them in the yards for 48 hours to give them a chance to pass any unwanted weed seeds they might be carrying in their digestive system. A quarantine drench is recommended for both sheep and cattle, to avoid bringing drench resistant worms onto your property. Afterwards, hold them in a paddock you can use as a quarantine paddock for at least 28 days prior to allowing them to mix with other livestock on the property. This allows you to observe for any clinical signs of disease or parasites that weren’t obvious when they first arrived. Conditions such as footrot or lice in sheep may take many months to become apparent.

Always buy from trusted suppliers and get a commodity vendor declaration (CVD). A CVD provides details of any chemical treatment, the rate and date of the application, and the appropriate Withholding Period/Export Slaughter Interval/Export Animal Feed Interval as shown on the chemical label. This reduces the risk of inadvertently exposing livestock to chemical residue.

Stockyards, and where you have fed out hay or grain, are the most obvious places where unwanted weeds will germinate. Check these areas, and if you do notice unwanted weeds, deal with them then and there. Don’t let them spread, establish and become a much bigger (and more expensive) problem.

Your livestock agent, agronomist, or bank manager have come out for a visit. It’s time for a drive around the property, and they offer to use their vehicle. Polite? Yes. Good for biosecurity? No. They may have been to a couple of farms already that day. Vehicles can carry risks such as weed seeds and soil pathogens. Park their car and take your own.

The Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) Hotline (1800 675 888) and the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline (1800 084 881) can be used to report unusual signs in animals or plants. The EAD Hotline can also be used to report diseases such as anthrax, Hendra virus, and Australian Bat Lyssavirus.

These steps don’t replace a comprehensive biosecurity plan. But they are a beginning. None of these suggestions costs you a lot in time or money. But they can save you, and your industry, a fortune in both.