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Foot-and-mouth disease
“Devise a ‘stray animal plan’ with your neighbour and include this in your biosecurity plan. Make sure to clearly identify what you will do if you find your neighbour’s animals on your property, how they will be returned and vice versa,” says Dr Hemley.
Contractors, like all visitors, pose a biosecurity risk, so producers should have a fit-for-purpose visitor protocol.
Farm Biosecurity, run by Plant Health Australia and Animal Health Australia, will again support a scholarship for a primary producer to study a topic relevant to on-farm biosecurity.
After a three-year effort, citrus canker has been eradicated from Australia. The tropical disease, affecting citrus such as oranges, limes, lemons and mandarins, has been eradicated thanks to the support of the local community and industry.
Using good on farm hygiene reduces the risk of spreading pests and diseases and minimises the risks they pose to your business. This applies at all times of the year, but particularly so during harvest.
Being biosecurity-conscious doesn’t need to be a big commitment; with a little planning and forethought many biosecurity activities slide right in to being standard practice. Of course, when all the planning is said and done, the next step is the ‘doing’. Many livestock producers have been ‘doing’ biosecurity for a long time, with some practices being so ingrained that they have become a natural part of the day-to-day operation of a farm.
July 2021 marks five years since the transition from national regulation of Johne’s disease (JD) in cattle to producer management of the disease. JD was previously regulated in all states and territories in Australia, meaning that beef herds that had a case of JD were put into quarantine and would need to undergo a disease management plan to eradicate the disease before being able to sell cattle freely again.
