The secure your farm: secure your future section updates you on the latest program initiatives and news poll results on key issues from the Farm Biosecurity program.

We take a look at:

• Webinar launches www.farmbiosecurity.com.au
• Free Visitor record pads address farm biosecurity gap
• New communication tool coming soon
• Secure your hives; secure your future

Webinar Launches www.farmbiosecurity.com.au
Thank you to everyone who joined the Farm Biosecurity team to participate in the webinar launch of Farmbiosecurity.com.au. The feedback was excellent and it was terrific to trial a new meeting technology. Ralph Hood welcomed the ‘virtual guests’ and Duncan Rowland and Thea McNaught-Reynolds talked them through the online presentation.

A recording of the webinar, for those who weren’t able to make it, is available on the website. A Farm Biosecurity www icon also is also available online for you to download and post up on to your website as a direct link to www.farmbiosecurity.com.au.

Free visitor record pads address farm biosecurity gap
Research findings released by Animal Health Australia showed that despite almost three in four livestock producers feeling that they have an understanding of biosecurity risks; only one in four keeps a record of visitors to their farm.

While many producers are changing their practices, with more than a third of livestock producers improving their farm biosecurity since the EI outbreak, many are not adopting some of the most simple tools.

The research suggested that many producers don’t fully understand why information about people, vehicles and equipment coming on-farm is necessary, with the majority not recording movements. Records of movements of visitors on farm are absolutely vital to tracking where a disease might have spread so as to restrict it as quickly as possible – without good records, disease tracking and management comes to depend on memory alone.

The Farm Biosecurity program is helping to address the gap, with 20,000 visitor pads now being distributed to farmers via jurisdictions and industry associations, and a downloadable version available on www.farmbiosecurity.com.au.

New communication tool – coming soon
A new farm biosecurity flyer is being developed as a new communication tool and as a ready reckoner for those hearing about the ‘secure your farm: secure your future’ campaign for the first time. To be printed in full colour A5 format, the flyer will be an excellent farm biosecurity reminder to your members, as an insert in your own newsletters or as a direct mail piece. We have already had interest from members who wish to receive a batch of the flyers as soon as possible so please contact us and let us know if this sounds of interest so we can include your needs in our first print run.

Secure your hives; secure your future
The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, in association with Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia are in the final stages of producing a Hive Biosecurity brochure, as a guide to early detection and management of pests and disease for the honey bee industry. The brochure addresses threat assessment and the five key risk areas of animal movement, people movement, pests, feed and water and will be distributed through government networks to reach approximately 10,000 producers, pollinators and exporters.