Video highlights biosecurity practices
17 February 2016
So you’ve set up the foot bath, you’ve placed a sign on the gate and stocked up with the pesticides and drenches you need to use this summer. Who else is helping you do all this? What’s your plan of attack? Are you recording the biosecurity actions you are implementing?
This month, the Farm Biosecurity Program (a joint initiative of Animal Health Australia (AHA) and Plant Health Australia (PHA)) is launching the latest videos in the series based on the ‘biosecurity essentials’. The latest release – Train, plan and record – highlights the importance of good biosecurity planning, training and recording.
Cattle producer and horse owner, Rod Hoare, from Crookwell in NSW, was interviewed in the video. He describes how he integrated his biosecurity plan into the layout of his new property and discusses the importance of good record-keeping.
“We bought the property pretty well undeveloped and were ever mindful of the need for good biosecurity because we have visiting horses all the time. At that stage, we were breeding horses and we didn’t want any infected horses infecting our young stock,” Rod said.
Rod believes that keeping records is the foundation of all biosecurity.
“It’s the biggest assurance we have that we are doing everything right, as we have records on nearly everything we do,” he added.
The topic of training is also covered with some helpful tips on training staff, contractors, family and friends who may be helping out on the property.
Training might include providing biosecurity manuals for new staff, implementing biosecurity briefings for short-term contractors and alerting people to specific pests and diseases.
