Keeping your farm biosecure

With foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease being major causes of concern the past few months, Agriculture Victoria is helping farmers learn how to keep their farms secure.

Agriculture Victoria’s Dairy Industry Development Officer, Richard Smith, says farm biosecurity planning “is not a one-size-fits-all process”, but resources are available to help you plan.

“After conducting a risk assessment and action plan, the next step is to create a farm biosecurity plan. A farm biosecurity 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,” Mr Smith said.

“A farm biosecurity plan should define your responsibilities, outline the disease protocols used on your property, ensure property information and biosecurity measures are quickly accessible, and enable you to easily communicate your biosecurity procedures to others.”

Templates and tools have been developed by a range of industry peak bodies, ranging from industry-specific tools to more general ideas. A few handy, free links include www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/fmd, www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au, and www.farmbiosecurity.com.au.

“There are no right or wrong answers when developing a farm biosecurity plan – the only bad biosecurity plan is the one you don’t have. A farm biosecurity plan is a tool to help you identify the risks on your farm and document how you will manage them,” Mr Smith said.

For more information on Victoria’s biosecurity, visit www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity.