A biosecurity management plan is a practical way of showing how you are preventing the introduction of pests, disease, weeds and contaminants to your property, spreading around your property, or spreading from your property.
The templates below are designed to help you identify the kinds of actions which may present a biosecurity risk to your enterprise and how they can be managed. While the templates deal with the most common risks to grazing livestock enterprises, your risk assessment should also include other factors unique to your property which may result in the introduction or spread of a disease, pest, weed or other contaminant.
When considering risks to your property, you should implement a procedure for any item you determine to be ‘moderate’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ risk.
For items you rate as ‘low’ or ‘negligible’ you will need to be prepared to demonstrate why that rating was given (i.e. those circumstances do not occur on your property, or you have successfully implemented a procedure previously) in the event of a review or audit of your biosecurity management plan.
The Property Biosecurity Management Plan Workbook is a comprehensive approach to biosecurity planning which steps you through the risks, provides some suggested management strategies and enables you to determine a risk rating. It is designed for grazing livestock producers who have not implemented a biosecurity plan previously or are looking to expand on their plan. It also includes the listed appendices as part of the document, making it easy to create your plan in one step.
The Risk Assessment and Action Plan templates are provided for producers who want to bolster their existing plans. They can be combined to create a basic biosecurity plan, but on their own may not satisfy specific requirements for industry-run assurance programs or state legislation.
The Reference Guide provides a high-level overview of risk factors and suggested management strategies.
Lastly, the Appendices are provided for producers who are looking to incorporate additional information to their plans to meet specific requirements for industry-run assurance programs or state legislation.
On 26 April 2019, the Queensland Government introduced additional regulations to address potential biosecurity risks of unauthorised entry to places where animals are kept. Under the amendment, anybody that enters a property must comply with the property’s biosecurity management plan while being on the premises.
From 1 August 2019, people entering areas where a biosecurity management plan applies must comply with the measures outlined in the plan.
Changes to Victoria’s Livestock Management Act 2010 and Livestock Management Regulations 2021
In 2022, the Victorian Government introduced changes to the Livestock Management Act 2010 and Livestock Management Regulations 2021 to address the serious impacts of trespass on Victorian farms and the significant biosecurity risks that breaches from trespassers can pose.
