W.RDE.0021 - Registered Establishment (RE) Biosecurity Plan Update

Summary

Given the increased risks faced by Australia following the detection of exotic animal diseases in our near neighbours, this project involved updating biosecurity resources for Registered Establishments (REs).

This will assist these pre-export quarantine facilities to use best practice biosecurity principles when developing or updating their existing biosecurity plans, by providing templates for standard operating procedures (SOP), work instructions, and a brief emergency animal disease (EAD) action plan.

The review was conducted in consultation with REs to gain a better understanding of the management of livestock, personnel, facilities, and waste disposal. The updated template includes a more detailed outline of biosecurity risks with associated risk ratings, and the recommended practices and procedures to handle each one.

One-on-one assistance was also provided to several facilities, to go through the templates to include the most relevant and up-to-date information.

This project was managed by the Livestock Export RD&E Program, a collaboration between LiveCorp and Meat & Livestock Australia.

Objectives

Update Registered Establishment Biosecurity Plan templates to incorporate all current (pertinent) regulatory and biosecurity best practices.

Key findings

Feedback from the state and territory jurisdictions, Animal Health Australia and the RE operators was integrated into the final template. One-on-one consultation was conducted with RE operators, offering valuable support and fostering accountability in the implementation of their biosecurity plans.

Benefits to industry

Good biosecurity practices help to protect individual premises and the wider livestock industry from diseases, protecting both humans and animals.

Having plans in place also helps to demonstrate to our overseas trading partners that biosecurity is an important and practised part of animal production in Australia.

MLA action

By providing one-on-one support to other RE operators, there is a potential to transform RE biosecurity plans from theoretical documents into practical safeguards, actively bolstering biosecurity across the livestock export industry.

Future research

The development of RE biosecurity management plans by individual RE operators in Australia plays a critical role in preserving Australia’s reputation and disease-free status in livestock health, facilitating market access. These tailored plans ensure proactive measures are in place to prevent, detect, and respond to potential biosecurity risks within each establishment. However, the true effectiveness of these plans lies in their implementation, not merely their creation. To ensure that these biosecurity plans are not relegated to ‘gathering dust on a shelf’, the one-on-one approach offered by AgSTAR Projects working with individual RE operators played a pivotal role. It offered operators personalised support and mentoring, catering to their specific needs and challenges. This close collaboration fostered a sense of accountability, compelling operators to actively put their plans into action.