Biosecurity practices protect your farm from infectious disease, pests and weeds; and help contain them should an incident occur. 

On-farm biosecurity refers to the set of management practices and procedures used to secure your farm from biological threats. Biosecurity accredited producers are required to have a farm biosecurity plan and implement effective biosecurity practices as part of their on-farm management.

AgriWebb provides several Biosecurity Plans suited to different types of farms and accreditation requirements. 

When choosing the plan, you need to think about the level of detail you require. AgriWebbs Plans contain different levels, allowing you to define more in depth practices that may be relevant for larger operations. The goal is to have the most completely comprehensive plan, however you may choose to start on a lower level plan that covers the basics. You can choose to upgrade your plan at anytime.

1. Select a Plan Template

Your plan template describes the structure and content of your plan including sections, questions and its layout. The different plan types are based on templates written by various biosecurity associations which allow for greater flexibility based on your needs.

The LPA on farm Biosecurity Plan is a good all-round template and best for people developing a Biosecurity Plan to meet the requirements of LPA. The LBN on farm Biosecurity Plan is a more in depth biosecurity template for producers who want to better define their practices. You may also wish to choose a template that contains questions about your Johne’s Beef Assurance Score, if it is relevant to your farm.

For more information on preparing for your audits see our Audit article here.

2. Select a Plan Level

Your plan can adhere to one of several biosecurity levels depending on the nature of your operation and requirements. Plan levels change the amount of detail in your plan. Lower levels contain less questions, providing a simpler plan to start with. As you progress you may wish to upgrade your plan level to a higher level of detail.

The goal is to have a completely comprehensive plan containing all questions, however you may choose a lower plan level which will cover the main questions in each of the sections to start with.

If you are unsure about which Biosecurity Plan is for you, consult the MLA Biosecurity Website and the Farm Biosecurity Website for more information.

You can create a new plan from the main Biosecurity dashboard. Click the Add a New Plan button in the top right corner. When first creating a Biosecurity Plan, you will need to provide some initial details about the plan and the property the plan covers. Some of these details may have been pre-filled for you, but can be overwritten if needed. You are able to edit all of these fields after creation except for the selected plan template.

2. Fill in Your Details

To create a Biosecurity Plan you will need to provide the following details:

Once you have filled out all the fields on this page, click Next at the bottom of the page to be taken to your newly created Biosecurity Plan.

Plan Summary: Here, view the progression and status of your plan.

The best defence against pests and diseases is to implement sound biosecurity practices on your farm. Quick and simple measures built into everyday practice will help protect your farm and your future. A biosecurity action plan will help you identify and prioritise the implementation of biosecurity practices relevant to your property.

2. Inputs 

Almost anything moved onto your property can be a potential source of pest and disease for livestock and plants. To reduce the biosecurity risk to your property, monitor animals or plant materials that enter the property, including sources of water, feed and fertiliser. You have an important role to play in protecting your region and the entire industry from biosecurity threats. Keep records of all farm inputs (and outputs) so that you can trace-back or trace-forward in the event of a pest incursion or disease outbreak.

3. People, Vehicles and Equipment

If it can move, it can carry diseases, pests and weeds. For this reason, people, vehicles and equipment pose a high biosecurity risk and should be managed accordingly.

4. Production Practices

It makes good business sense to reduce the risk of spreading pests and diseases by implementing simple biosecurity measures as part of your every day farm management practice. Get into the habit of regularly monitoring crops and livestock for signs of disease. Apply hygienic practices when managing feed and water sources, product packing, storage facilities, livestock husbandry and waste materials. 

5. Pests and Weeds

Feral animals, wildlife and weeds are a widespread nuisance and can also cause harm to your business, so they need to be actively controlled. Feral animals pose a risk to your property through direct impact on livestock and production and by carrying disease onto and around your property. To protect the health of your livestock, crops and plantations it is important to minimise the risks associated with feral animals.

6. Outgoing Products

Responsibility for biosecurity doesn’t end when plant products or animals leave the farm gate. The measures in place on your property support biosecurity in your region. Protect your reputation and your business – within a region, every farm may be affected in the event of a pest incursion or disease outbreak.

7. Train, Plan and Record

An important part of farm biosecurity, is ensuring staff are well trained, that you have the ability to trace where animals or plants have come from and where they went and that you have records of purchases, sales and movements. In the event of an emergency animal disease or exotic plant pest incursion, valuable time can be lost trying to determine how far the disease or pest may have spread. Sound record keeping speeds up this process and prevents the spread of the disease or pest. Training staff in biosecurity measures and knowing what to look out for, monitoring plants and animals for signs of disease, recording all farm activities that could infect plants or animals, and sound planning, can all reduce the possibility of an emergency animal disease or exotic plant pest to become established on your property.
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If you wish to review your whole plan, use the handy Print View feature. It will display all your questions and answers in a plain format.

Having a plan is one thing, executing it is another. Tips to bring your plan into action:

To access a printable version of your Biosecurity Plan, select the Print View button at the top of the page. This will display your full Biosecurity Plan on a single page, showing all questions in a print-friendly format. To print your plan, click the Print button at the top right of your page. To go back, click Cancel, and you will be returned to your Biosecurity Plan.

Your Biosecurity Plan is ready to go when the auditor comes knocking! Print it off, or use the Print View mode to Save your plan to your computer and share it with the auditor. 

For more information on preparing for your audits see our Audit article here.

From the Bio-security Dashboard on the Portal click on your current plan. In the top right hand corner of your screen, click Edit Plan Details. 

After changing your details, click Next to save your changes. You will now be directed to the main Plan Summary page. 

Changing plan level: You can upgrade the level of your plan at any time without losing any answers. To upgrade or downgrade your plan level, click Edit Plan Details and change to your desired plan level. When you switch back to the highest plan level, all of your previous answers will be restored. 

MLA - Farm Biosecurity
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