The Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) Response Agreement is a world first and significantly increases Australia's capacity to prepare for and respond to emergency animal disease incursions. The Agreement brings together the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and livestock industry groups and provides an innovative means to combine the following approaches to combating emergency animal diseases:

  EAD Response Agreement and Schedules (447 KB)

1. Participation and Cooperation

All parties commit to the participation in an emergency animal disease response through informed and empowered representatives who cooperate to determine and direct the response.

The Response Agreement provides for effective participation across state and territory boundaries and gives each participating industry a real voice.

2. Risk Management

All Parties commit to taking all reasonable steps to minimise the risk of the occurrence of an emergency animal disease through the development and implementation of Biosecurity Plans.

3. Detection and Response

All Parties commit to maintaining the capability to ensure early detection of and an effective response to an emergency animal disease. The National Animal Health Performance Standards are the basis for determining the level of capability Parties to the Agreement should maintain

4. Cost Sharing

All Parties commit to contributing to funding the eligible costs of responding to an EAD by which they are affected. The costs to be shared are identified under the Agreement:

• Cost Sharing is aimed at equitable contributions from all Parties commensurate with their respective resource bases;
  
• Cost Sharing is not a bottomless pot of money. Government and Industry Party Shares are capped;
  
• Cost Sharing is linked to the Category of the disease;
  
• A Party which does not participate does not pay; and
  
• The compensation costs included in Cost Sharing under the Agreement are separate from compensation payable to an owner under State or Territory legislation which may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

5. Training

Training is an essential part of preparedness and the efficiency and effectiveness of responses and the Agreement provides for training personnel who take part in an emergency animal disease response.

Animal Health Australia is the custodian of the Agreement, which is reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Further Information

• Click here for more information on implementation of biosecurity plans.

Page Updated: 2 April 2008