Why should the movement of products on and off your property be considered a risk?
The movement of anything onto, around and off your property increases the risk of spreading diseases, pests and weeds. It is not practical to stop all product movement on and off a property, but each time you move livestock, plants and plant products, or anything that could harbour disease, pests of weeds, you should consider the risks involved.
What to consider
New animals entering the property
Animals can carry diseases and pests without necessarily showing clinical signs, so it is important to manage the introduction of new animals carefully to avoid infecting the rest of your stock. Manage new and returning stock in a similar fashion.
- always request a National Vendor Declaration (NVD) and animal health statement and any other records of the stock's health status
- keep a record of where the livestock have come from. This may involve uploading information to the NLIS database as well.
- buy stock from a trusted source and inspect them before you purchase
- be aware of the cleaning and hygiene practices of the transport provider/s
- inspect stock on arrival to make sure they are healthy and in the same condition as when you purchased them
- isolate new stock for a period of 10 days to allow any signs of disease to emerge
Planting and propagation material
It is not sufficient to visually assess the health of your planting material as it can carry diseases, pests or weed seeds that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, additional steps need to be taken to ensure the health of any plant material that is brought onto, or taken off, your property.
The correct management of any new plant material is vital in ensuring the health of your produce and productivity of your property.
- source certified seed or propagation material
- request a Vendor Declaration form or equivalent, where possible
- only purchase plant material from sources that takes biosecurity, hygiene, health testing and record keeping seriously
- ask your supplier where the propagation material was originally sourced
- inspect materials when they arrive and store away from other plant products
- ensure the transport provider for planting material follows the cleaning and hygiene practices in place on your farm
- keep records of your crop or plantation propagation material, including its source (with contact details), cultivar or rootstock details and where and when it was planted
- regularly check newly planted areas for the appearance of pests or unusual symptoms to ensure any new pests can be contained before spreading to other areas of your property
Moving animals off the property
If your animals are showing signs of disease, don't spread it further.
- ensure animals are fit for travel before loading
- keep a record of where stock have gone to
- supply an National Vendor Declaration (NVD) or stock health statement
- seek advice from your vet on the best way to confirm livestock health
- be aware of cleaning and hygiene practices of the transport provider
Taking animals to shows/sales
Your stock can be exposed to disease by mixing with other animals or coming into contact with contaminated pens, vehicles, people and equipment.
- only take healthy animals
- do not share equipment, and if you must, clean and disinfect prior to use
- if possible, feed and water your livestock separately
- ensure pens and housing areas are properly cleaned before allowing your stock to enter
- regularly inspect your stock for any signs of disease whilst at the show/sale
- be aware of cleaning and hygiene practices of the transport provider/s
- seek advice from your vet on the best way to confirm livestock health
- isolate returning stock for 10 days to allow anything they may have picked up to show signs and avoid transference to your other stock
- treating individual animals is cheaper and easier than managing a new disease in all stock on your property
Moving plant products off the property
The movement of plant material and products off your property can transport diseases, pests and weeds. If your crops are showing any signs of pest presence, disease symptoms, or you are aware of any weeds, don’t risk movement of plant products off the property.
Also ensure that all transport providers moving plants or plant products from your property abide by the cleaning and hygiene practices in place on your property. This includes ensuring trucks are clean before entering and leaving.
Surveillance (crop and livestock monitoring)
Conducting regular monitoring of your crops or livestock gives you the best chance of identifying a new pest before it becomes established. To effectively put these practices in place, consider:
- establishing an active monitoring program and recording the results, even when nothing is found
- an example of a surveillance datasheet can be downloaded from the toolkit
- diseases, pests and weeds that are the target of surveillance should be identified before starting
- becoming familiar with the usual diseases, pests and weeds found on your property, so that you will know if you see anything unusual
- consult with neighbours on any pest issues, as it is likely that the problem doesn't stop at your own property boundaries
Chemical residues
Chemical residues can result in produce being rejected from export and domestic markets. In addition, most plant produce ends up being used as human food, even when fed to livestock, so inappropriate use or application of pesticides can pose a risk to human health, particularly through the presence of chemical residues. Don’t put your livelihood or the industry at risk through poor or illegal practice.
- ensure your staff has had appropriate training and advice on the safe use of pesticides (for example ChemCert® or SMARTtrain)
- always follow label regulations and withholding periods
- check details about regulations for agricultural and veterinary chemicals can be found through the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) or from relevant state agencies
- consult these sources frequently for information regarding chemical regulations as regulations may be updated regularly
Product packing and storage
Farm, orchard and plantation produce can be stored on-farm for a number of reasons. However, incorrect storage of these products can provide an opportunity for pests and diseases to infest and ruin products. Storage structures can also provide an excellent breeding ground for pests and diseases, which can then spread and infect other parts of your property.
- maintain an effective monitoring/pest management program
- a ‘spray diary’ record should accompany each consignment of fruit and fruit products
- collect and dispose of fallen or waste fruit and packing shed waste away from orchards and irrigation water sources
- dispose of waste material appropriately, for example by burying or hot-composting
- load fruit onto trucks on a concrete or bitumen pad outside the production areas
- ensure that no soil, plant material or insects are left adhering to, or remaining in bulk bins
Grains storage has a number of specific biosecurity considerations.
- always completing phosphine fumigations in sealable silos at the correct phosphine concentration and fumigation length of time
- maintaining good hygiene around your storage areas, including making sure grain handling equipment like headers, augers, field bins, silos and bulk storages are cleaned out well before the next harvest as this will limit insect multiplication
- separating the first grain to pass through harvesters at the start of each season as there is a high risk that it may contain storage pests
- removing all grain residues to limit the areas where insects can survive and breed
- keeping good records of your phosphine treatments in each sealable silo
- pressure testing sealable silos and repairing any faulty rubber seals
- conducting no more than three phosphine fumigations on any single parcel of grain
- if you suspect resistance to insecticide treatments please contact your nearest Department of Agriculture or Primary Industries entomology laboratory to have the insects tested.
- laboratory testing is the only way to determine whether insects are resistant to phosphine
Fencing
Broken or missing fences can allow your stock to mix with the neighbours' stock or with wild animals, or for animals (and even people) to enter cropping areas, heightening the risks of disease, pest and weed introduction.
- Inspect all yard and perimeter fences regularly to ensure their integrity
- Maintain buffer distances, and where possible use double fencing between neighbouring properties
- Work with your neighbours to solve any boundary fencing issues
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.