Why should the movement of people on and off your property be considered a risk?
People can unintentionally carry diseases, pests and weeds without even realising. This means anyone visiting your property including suppliers, vets, transporters, stock agents, consultants, itinerant workers, researchers and contractors - as well as your guests, and, of course, anyone who lives on the property can bring new diseases pests and weeds with them.
What to consider
Visitors and workers
To limit the risk of visitors carrying new pests and diseases onto your property:
- limit entry points access to the property - ideally there should only be one access point so that all movements can be recorded and you always know who is on your property
- direct all visitors to a designated parking area away through the use of clear biosecurity signage from livestock or crops and ask them to report to management and sign a visitor register (www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/toolkit)
- all visitors to the property must ensure that their vehicles, equipment, boots and clothing are clean and free from pests, weed seeds and plant material
- all visitor vehicles, equipment and boots should be cleaned upon entering the property in a wash-down bay
- any visitor who refuse to clean vehicles, equipment and boots, or cannot demonstrate that their clothing is clean should be refused entry.
- limit visitor contact with livestock or crops/plant materials as much as possible and eliminate any unnecessary contact altogether
- wash hands before and after coming into contact with livestock or plant material or soil
- ensure that itinerant workers clean and disinfect equipment such as pruning shears in between uses on different properties
Signage
Appropriate signage can easily inform visitors of your biosecurity status. Never assume that visitors know the appropriate biosecurity measures for your property. For signage to be effective:
- ensure signs are clear and visible
- ensure signs are clearly displayed to support your message
- signs should contain simple messages (e.g. do not enter the farm without prior approval, use wash down facilities for cleaning vehicles and machinery)
- support your signage with other biosecurity measures such as restricted access points
- fix or replace damaged signs quickly
Examples of on farm biosecurity signage are available from (www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/toolkit), and more information on obtaining appropriate signage can be obtained from contacting us.
General hygiene
Soil (dirt), burrs, seed pods and manure are effective carriers of diseases, pests and weeds. Making sure your farm has good levels of general hygiene, through the points below, will reduce the risk of disease, pest and weed spread:
- ensure clothing, shoes and equipment are free of seed pods and burrs when entering and exiting properties
- avoid wearing dirty work-clothes or footwear off your property – particularly if you are visiting other properties
- wash hands after contact with any farm animal including, working dogs and pets
- wash hands after working with manure, soil (dirt), or any other waste matter
- wash hands after contact with plant material or produce
- make sure you, your staff and your family minimise contact with other people's stock and produce
- be sure to follow farm biosecurity requirements of any property when you visit
Record keeping
A property owner or manager should to be able to ‘trace back' and ‘trace forward’ if there is a disease, pest or weed incursion on their property. To allow you to do this effectively:.
- keep a record of every visitor to your property and include details of their risk assessment (www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/toolkit)
- ensure your Visitor Register is up to date
- keep a record of all livestock or planting and propagation material that comes onto your property, including the source, date, treatments, certifications and where it is stored on your property
- For planting material entering the property, records should continue to be kept, including where these materials are used on your property
- all products that leave your property should be recorded, including the date, commodity, destination and treatments
Staff training
Staff members (including family members working on the property) may not understand how diseases, pests and weeds spread and how to prevent this happening. To reduce the risks:
- ensure staff understand how diseases, pests and weeds spread
- ensure staff know what they should do when entering and leaving the property to minimise risk
- ensure staff are involved in the daily monitoring of livestock, crops or plantations
- implement staff risk assessments - if they are considered a high risk restrict them to duties away from livestock, crops or plantations until they can reduce their risk
- keep records of staff training and ensure they are regularly maintained (www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/toolkit)
If you see anything unusual on your property call the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 or the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881