Good biosecurity is critical to protecting our farms against diseases like FMD
04 August 2022, AU: Nutrien Ag Solutions General Manager Customer and Business Services Tom Breen says adopting good on-farm biosecurity practices will strengthen our preparedness in the event an emergency animal disease outbreak occurs.
“With the current exotic disease threats to Australia, it’s critical we all understand what good biosecurity practice is and what role we can all play in protecting our industry,” says Mr Breen.
“Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most significant biosecurity threats to Australia’s livestock industry but it’s not the only risk to be aware of. Other animal diseases like Lumpy skin disease (LSD), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and African swine fever (ASF) all have potentially devastating impacts if Australia experiences an outbreak.
“We should be thinking about best biosecurity practices on-farm every day, not just when a disease is threatening our borders.
“As a business, we have people on and off farms and saleyards daily – we have an obligation to take biosecurity seriously in order to protect the livelihood of our customers, our business and our industry. Good on-farm biosecurity is a critical layer of defence to help prevent the introduction and spread of exotic diseases,” says Mr Breen.
Practical biosecurity measures:
- Understand and follow the biosecurity plans in place at the property you are visiting. If you don’t know – ask.
- Limit visitor entry points and restrict movement on farm.
- Wash and disinfect hands before and after handling livestock.
- Wear clean clothes and boots.
- Know the signs and report any signs of disease early to 1800 675 888
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