New biosecurity requirement for local livestock producers

Bass Coast and South Gippsland livestock producers who are looking to get Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) accreditation or reaccreditation now have to upload or create a biosecurity management plan for every property linked to their account.

The requirement applies at both accreditation and renewal, so local producers will need to prepare for it when completing the process.

And every property needs one.

Agriculture Victoria Dairy Industry Development Officer Richard Smith outlined the changes on Monday, October 12.

He explained that a farm biosecurity plan records how producers prevent threats entering their properties or spreading beyond the boundary.

The threats could be anything from disease and pests, to weeds and contaminants that can affect farm operations.

For local farmers, the document needs to reflect what happens on their own property.

A template can provide the starting point, but producers are being asked to adapt the template to their circumstances and the individual biosecurity risks that they face on their properties.

A plan should define responsibilities and set out the property’s disease protocols, while keeping farm information and biosecurity measures readily accessible when they are needed.

Farmers don’t have to start from scratch though.

Agriculture Victoria and Animal Health Australia both offer planning information and templates, and Integrity Systems provides resources through the LPA program.

The release also directs producers to their industry peak body, which can help them find planning information suited to their farming operation.

But completing the paperwork once is only part of the job.

Agriculture Victoria advises treating the plan as a living document, reviewing it often and updating it when things change.

For example, a land purchase could prompt a review.

So could changes to farm management practices or a disease outbreak on the property.

Producers are also being asked to revisit their plans if there is a pest or weed outbreak that occurs, and to make sure the document continues to reflect the risks they’re managing.

More information can be found on the Agriculture Victoria website.