Pig Services Centre reopens after closing due to coronavirus

Victoria’s Pig Services Centre at Bendigo has reopened, after it closed in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The Pig Services Centre at Bendigo has reopened.

VICTORIA’S Pig Services Centre at Bendigo is open again, after closing in late March to protect high-risk staff from the spread of coronavirus.

The reopening was welcomed by Victorian Farmers Federation pig group president Tim Kingma, who stressed the importance of the centre for pig producers nationwide.

“It services the needs of the industry … and also with animal welfare issues, and biosecurity, it’s very vital,” he said.

“When we look at exotic diseases around the world, Australia is fortunate, but these diseases are getting closer and closer, and we have to be one step ahead.”

Agriculture Victoria announced last week operations at the centre would resume as of Monday, including providing and accepting all orders for pig vaccine manufacturing and diagnostic services.

An Agriculture Victoria spokeswoman said the services centre has operated at “a low level” over the last eight weeks to “safely undertake essential tasks relating to vaccine manufacture for existing orders and maintenance of the facility”.

“The provision of diagnostic services and production of vaccines at the Pig Services Centre has now returned to the same level as prior to the suspension,” the spokeswoman said.

Fox and wild dog bounty collection centres will also reopen from June 29, in line with social distancing rules, including established drop-off and exclusion zones.

While the centres were suspended, bounty participants were encouraged to continue to collect fox scalps and wild dog body parts on private land and to freeze or air dry them.

Agriculture Victoria encouraged hunters to refresh their knowledge of the terms and conditions of the bounty.

Participants can submit entire fox scalps for a $10 reward and entire wild dog body parts for a $120 reward during scheduled collection times.

Agriculture Victoria chief executive Emily Phillips said while some of its key services were suspended, many were delivered online.

“This included ongoing services to support farmers impacted by bushfire across the North East and East Gippsland, and farmers who continue to be impacted by drought and dry seasonal conditions across the state,” she said.

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