Farm biosecurity failure: 40% exposed to animal activist invasions

Forty per cent of Victorian farmers have no biosecurity plan or signage, leaving them legally exposed to animal activist invasions.

Animal activists who invade farms now face fines of $1272 each, but only if the property has a biosecurity plan and correct signage in place.

At least 40 per cent of Victorian farmers are unable to take action against animal activist invasions under Victoria’s Livestock Management Act, because they have failed to implement a legally compliant biosecurity plan.

The Act was amended last year to impose penalties of $1272 for individuals who enter and breach farm biosecurity.

But to be protected under the Act, producers must have a biosecurity management plan including a farm map and mandatory information, as well as compliant biosecurity signage.

A 2021 Agriculture Victoria survey found 40 per cent of farmers did not have a biosecurity plan, with the remaining 60 per cent simply stating they had a plan, but gave no details.

VFF Livestock Group president Scott Young said many farmers failed to put biosecurity signs on all their entry gates; those who had needed to check they were up to date and mentioned the regulations under the Act.

Biosecurity signs must contain the following:

THE word ‘STOP’ or ‘VISITORS’;

A REFERENCE to the ‘Livestock Management Regulations 2021’;

A STATEMENT that a contravention of a prescribed biosecurity measure is an offence;

A SUMMARY of any prescribed biosecurity measures that apply to the premises (or the specified part of the premises); and

A CONTACT for a nominated person for visitors to obtain consent for a prescribed biosecurity measure.

Further details and templates for biosecurity management plans can be found be found at www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/bmp.

Meanwhile, the government is sitting on almost $45 million in cattle, sheep, goat, swine and honeybee compensation funds, more of which the VFF wants to see rolled out to boost on and off-farm biosecurity.

The funds have grown from $19.82 million in 2015 to $44.82m on the back of farmers’ transaction levies, despite legislation passed in 2019 freeing up the funds to be spent on industry good, especially biosecurity.

Agriculture Victoria is also not keeping farmers up to date on how their levies are being spent, with the last funds reports published in 2020.

When asked for an update, Agriculture Minister Gayle Tierney’s office stated that in 2021 it had rolled out 18 successful projects worth $3.5 million across the cattle, sheep, goat and swine compensation funds, while no projects were recommended to receive funding under the honeybee fund in that round.

As for 2022, “applications received have been assessed by the four livestock compensation advisory committees and funding is expected to be announced by the end of June”.

Mr Young said the VFF wanted to see more funds rolled out, perhaps to even deliver incentives for farmers to take up biosecurity plans, such as free signage.