How can the movement of people around your property pose a biosecurity risk?
Good farm biosecurity practice is important for farmers in order to protect their land, their animals, their plants, and their livelihood. Biosecurity best practice is of increasing importance to the agricultural industries to secure profitability and market access. One of the key risk areas and potential for the spread of pests and diseases is the movement of people around your property.

Visitors, employees, contractors, family and friends can unknowingly bring harmful agents onto a farm via contaminated clothing, footwear, equipment and vehicles. All visitors need to understand the risk they present when entering a property, what a producer or grower expects from them and what precautions need to be taken when travelling between properties. This applies to anyone entering or leaving the premises.

In particular persons who may be visiting other operations on a regular basis, not just those of the same animal species or commodity type should be made fully aware of the biosecurity implications they may pose to your property and livelihood.

Potential visitors could include:

• Neighbours, friends and family
• Employees and contractors
• Agribusiness and service representatives
• Veterinarians and agronomists
• Regulatory personnel or inspectors

The risk is increased with visitors who regularly go from property to property as part of their employment or routine. These individuals, their businesses and organisations are encouraged to develop and follow a personal biosecurity plan. It would be terrible to have the spread of a significant disease attributed to your business.

The fundamentals of developing a biosecurity plan include:

• Identifying possible risk factors
• Identifying critical control points for your operation
• Establishing a monitoring schedule and procedures
• Keeping effective and accurate records

Everyone has a shared responsibility in farm biosecurity. Visitors need to be aware of a properties biosecurity practices and follow the appropriate procedures. Visitors also have a responsibility in preventing hazards from leaving a property.

Biosecurity guidelines should be developed to suit the purposes of your property. A property with a lot of traffic or contract workers may require stricter guidelines than a small lifestyle farm.

Biosecurity guidelines for visitor control differ from property to property, however you should consider the following:

• Provide a front entrance or gate sign indicating access information about your property and rules to be followed while on farm
• Place restricted entry notices on the doors or gates to animal or crop facilities
• Keep service vehicles as far away from the animal or crop facilities as feasible. Designate a parking area for vehicles entering the property, away from traffic areas used by farm vehicles and away from feed and manure. Visitors' vehicles should be visibly clean of manure and organic matter
• Establish one area of the property for visitors to enter. All visitors should go directly to an entry point. Consider installing a bell or alarm system for visitors to indicate their arrival
• Keep a visitor register to record names, dates and vehicles that visit for tracability
• Ensure visitors determine if, when and what types of properties have been visited prior to your property. As a precaution, forty eight hours may be required between visits (one week for foreign visitors)
• Restrict access to animal and crop facilities to essential visitors only
• Insist on clean clothing and/or supply clean boots and clothing at your property
• Do not allow overseas visitors to bring foods of animal origin onto your property. Australia has an inclusive ban on the feeding of meat and bone meal (MBM) derived from all vertebrates, including fish and birds to ruminants. In addition, swill feeding of pigs is also illegal in Australia
• Provide a container or plastic bag for collecting dirty clothing or disposable items used by visitors
• Ask visitors to wash their hands prior to entering and leaving the premises, especially if in contact with animals Provide a footbath and a container of an appropriate disinfectant solution with a scrub brush at the entrance to each facility. Maintain these with daily cleaning, remove accumulated organic matter and replenish disinfectant regularly. Footbaths alone are not an effective means of disinfecting footwear
• Ensure all equipment used by visitors has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected and stored appropriately before being used on your premises. Also clean and disinfect all borrowed equipment and tools prior to use on your property and before returning them

If you see any unusual symptoms on your farm call the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 or the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.