Managing biosecurity risks from contractors and visitors

Everyone who enters a farm has a role to play in maintaining strong biosecurity practices. This is essential not only for protecting your flock or herd, but for safeguarding Australia’s broader livestock industries.

Depending on the type and scale of the enterprise, producers may host a range of contractors and visitors. While biosecurity efforts often focus on preventing disease transmission between animals, people entering the property can also pose significant risks. These include livestock transporters, shearers, agents and veterinarians, as well as those involved in non-animal tasks, such as fencing contractors and electricians.

Biosecurity for contractors and visitors requires proactive management. Diseases, pests, and weeds can easily spread between properties via individuals who haven’t followed proper hygiene protocols. Even one-off visitors can introduce harmful agents through contaminated footwear, vehicles, or equipment.

Types of people who may visit your farm and practical strategies to help you uphold biosecurity best-practice during their visit are listed below.

Contractors and visitors who contact animals

These roles involve direct contact with livestock and include:

• shearers
• lamb marking contractors
• veterinarians
• livestock transporters
• agents

These visitors present a high biosecurity risk as they move frequently between various farms and handle animals directly. Each contractor should identify the diseases or pests that they may encounter and how they spread, and consider the precautions needed as they move between flocks/herds and different properties. They should:

• Communicate with property owners or managers in advance to understand and follow site-specific biosecurity protocols.
• Remove manure and mud from footwear, as these can carry disease, and disinfect them.
• Change into clean clothing/overalls before entering a new property.
• Disinfect equipment between use in different flocks or herds and regularly between animals where practical (e.g. handpieces, combs, and cutters for shearers).
• Work with healthy animals first and treat sick or lame animals last.

Contractors and visitors who will likely not contact stock

These include:

• fencing contractors
• irrigation installers
• weed and pest control teams
• builders or installers (e.g. sheds and water tanks), plumbers, etc.

Since these contractors don’t work with animals, they may not realise they can carry biosecurity risks. It’s important to inform them of their role in maintaining the biosecurity standards on your farm. To manage these risks:

• Ensure all contractors are recorded in your visitor register upon arrival.
• As part of any induction, include relevant elements of your biosecurity management plan.
• Highlight restricted areas, such as quarantine paddocks.
• Encourage clean footwear and clothing/overalls and offer facilities for cleaning them if needed.

Be sure to remind these contractors that biosecurity applies to all areas of the farm. Even though their work doesn’t involve animals, they’re still at risk of encountering disease agents and pests that have settled on the ground or infrastructure.

Occasional visitors

These may include:

• government inspectors
• researchers
• students

Even if their visits are infrequent or brief, these individuals often travel between multiple properties and can unknowingly spread disease or pests. To reduce risk:

• Use clear signage to reinforce your farm’s biosecurity expectations.
• Offer a simple biosecurity induction.
• Keep spare boots and clean clothing on hand for visitors who may not be prepared.
• Limit access to sensitive areas, if it can be avoided.

Biosecurity is a shared responsibility. Whether someone is handling livestock, installing infrastructure, or simply visiting for a short time, their actions can impact the health of your animals and the integrity of your farm.

By identifying the types of people who enter your property and implementing practical biosecurity measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of disease and pest transmission both to your farm and within Australia’s agricultural sector.

Learn more

For more information on managing people, vehicles and equipment on your farm, visit People, vehicles & equipment.

If you don’t already have your own biosecurity plan, use the Farm Biosecurity Action Planner.