The Government - Industry FMD/BSE Policy Forum held in Canberra in November 2001 and a variety of subsequent meetings, workshops and for each identified several actions needed to be undertaken to enhance Australia's EAD preparedness.

Collectively, this very large body of work threatened to overwhelm the available resources and lead to waste and inefficiency unless it was appropriately prioritised, managed and monitored.

In 2002 the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry engaged a consultant to develop a database that assembled all of these action items and proposed an order of priority for them as well as a convenient process for ensuring that the various items were progressed consistent with their priority and that this progress was managed and reported.

This database, which contains more than 200 separate action items, and its attendant management, monitoring and reporting processes became known as the National EAD Business Plan.

In 2004 the Primary Industries Standing Committee (PISC) requested Animal Health Australia to assume responsibility for managing the database and its related processes.

In accepting this responsiblity Animal Health Australia has undertaken to consult regularly with the senior government officers designated by PISC to be responsible for ensuring that the various action items are progressed, to monitor the progress of the actions, incorporate any new items and to allow Animal Health Australia to prepare the six monthly reports requested by PISC.

To enable Animal Health Australia and those responsible for overseeing the progress of the various action items listed in the, now renamed, EAD Action Plan to more efficiently discharge their responsiblities and to make the Action Plan more accessible to the wider range of interests within the national animal health system, Animal Health Australia has developed a web-based version of the Plan.

Page Updated: 21 June 2006