SOURCING information on how to secure your farm against diseases, pests and weeds has been made easier, with growers and producers now having improved access to a vast suite of resources on the Farm Biosecurity website.
Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia have launched the new-look site for the Farm Biosecurity Program, a joint initiative of the two national organisations managed on behalf of members.
“Each month more than 10,000 stakeholders view Farm Biosecurity’s online resources, many of whom are new to the site,” said Stuart Kearns, manager of Farm Biosecurity Programs at PHA.
“The site and its materials are consistently delivering down-to-earth, practical information in an easy to understand format to primary producers and land and livestock managers,” he said.
The new-look website, which was launched as part of the recent 2019 Australian Biosecurity Symposium, retains the structure of the original Farm Biosecurity site, which had been home to the program’s content for the past six years.
While it may look a little different, producers returning to the site will find the same valuable information they have come to expect from Farm Biosecurity.
Six Essentials
Farm Biosecurity provides information on the ‘Six Essentials’, which are core principles that underpin on-farm biosecurity across plant and livestock sectors, as well as templates and resources for implementing those principles on your property.
Producers also have access to a range of information specific to their enterprise and production systems, via the Crops and Livestock menus, including in-depth manuals on how to apply the Six Essentials to their operations.
A core function of the site is the Profiler, which enables producers to select the make-up of their enterprise and production system, before bringing all of the relevant resources onto one page for easy access.
“The new-look site is part of our commitment to keep on-farm biosecurity relevant, accessible, and easy to put in place,” Dr Simon Humphrys, AHA’s executive manager of Biosecurity and Product Integrity said.
The launch also marks the first step in a new era for the Farm Biosecurity Program, which focusses on drawing attention to the practical management considerations when facing biosecurity decisions and helping you to understand how a farm management strategy can not only minimise the risks of a disease or pest incursion, but also facilitate trade by demonstrating your commitment to best-practice biosecurity on your property.
“For every task which has a biosecurity implication, we will have some information available on how you can secure your farm to secure your future,” Dr Humphrys said.
About the Farm Biosecurity Program
Farm Biosecurity is a national awareness program that provides information to livestock and plant producers and related service providers about on-farm biosecurity, and prevention of animal diseases and plant pests. The program is a joint initiative of Animal Health Australia and Plant Health Australia. It encourages producers to identify risks to their livestock and plant products and minimise these risks by incorporating on-farm biosecurity measures into their everyday operations.
For more information and access to the upgraded biosecurity website, go to www.farmbiosecurity.com.au
Source: Animal Health Australia
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