Records that protect your business

Good records are one of the most practical tools you can use to protect your farm or production system from pests and diseases.

Record keeping supports early detection, strengthens traceability and helps you respond quickly if something goes wrong. It also provides evidence of good biosecurity practices, which can be important for maintaining market access and business confidence.

Why records matter

If a biosecurity issue occurs, records can help you work out what happened, when it happened and what needs to be checked next.

Accurate records can help:

• identify where a pest or disease may have come from
• track how it may have spread
• support faster, more targeted response actions
• minimise disruption to your business, neighbouring properties and supply chains.

Good records can help trace a problem quickly, limit its spread and support a faster return to normal operations.

What to record

You do not need a complicated system for record keeping to be effective. Simple, consistent records can give you the details you need if a pest or disease is found.

Important records may include:

• movements of people, vehicles and equipment on and off your property
• farm inputs such as seed, plants, fertiliser, feed and chemicals
• monitoring and surveillance activities, including pest or disease observations
• treatments and chemical applications
• production, packing, storage and product movement.

Make record keeping easy

The most effective record keeping systems are the ones that are practical and regularly used.

To make record keeping easier:

• keep records up to date and in a consistent format
• record information even when no issues are detected
• make sure staff understand what needs to be recorded and why
• review records regularly to identify patterns or changes.

Record keeping templates, including surveillance record sheets, are available in the Farm Biosecurity records toolkit.

Guidance on monitoring and surveillance practices is also available on the pest surveillance page.

Supporting your business and others

Records kept on one property can also help protect others.

If an issue spreads beyond one property, records can help responders identify what needs to be checked, where movement may have occurred and which businesses may be affected.

That can help reduce disruption for your business, neighbouring properties and local industries.

Good records do not need to be complicated. Building them into everyday farm management can help reduce risk, protect your business and support a faster response if a biosecurity issue occurs.