Legislation/Biosecurity

RARE BREEDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA

Legislation/Biosecurity

Bisecurity matters

Optimum health is important for any farming or agricultural endeavour, whether it be livestock or crops, but it is crucial in the keeping of rare breeds. The smaller populations are particularly vulnerable to any disease outbreaks and although the rare breeds are naturally hardy, they are not immune to potential health threats. The fact the breeds have been nurtured throughout many decades means it is not as easy to replace a breed, that may be completely wiped out by a major disease outbreak.

We are lucky, in Australia, that we are not impacted upon by some of the diseases of other countries, but we still cannot be complacent in our care. The Government authorities have put in place a number of new regulations to assist with biosecurity and the tracking of livestock, so any health problems can be traced back to the source. The tracking may also help to reunite stock and their owners in times of natural disasters.

Excellent information that is species based can be found on the Animal Health Australia Biosecurity at this link http://www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/livestock/

| Property Identification Codes | Livestock movements | PigPass | Poultry | Notifiable Diseases | Animal Welfare |

Property Identification Codes

If you own sheep, cattle, (including bison and buffalo) horses, donkeys goats, pigs, deer, alpacas, camels or llamas, regardless of whether it is one or many, you are required to have a PIC Property Identification Code. This also applies to poultry, emus, ostriches, depending on the number. If you agist livestock you are also required to have a PIC.

The PICs can generally be applied for online and in some States they are free. The links for each State or Territory are as follows:

Victoria https://pic.agriculture.vic.gov.au/
New South Wales https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/livestock/pics
Queensland https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/land-management/pic
South Australia http://pir.sa.gov.au/biosecurity/animal_health/property_identification_code_pic
Western Australia https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestock-ownership
Tasmania http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/agriculture/animal-industries/identifying-selling-moving-livestock/about-livestock-identification/property-identification-code-(pic)-registration
Northern Territory https://nt.gov.au/industry/agriculture/livestock/get-a-property-identification-code
Australian Capital Territory https://www.environment.act.gov.au/parks-conservation/plants-and-animals/Biosecurity/animal-health/livestock-management

Livestock Movements

When moving livestock from one property to another, owners must follow mandatory requirements, depending on the species and where they are going to and from. The details for each State can be found here:

https://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/endemic-disease/livestock-movements/

When livestock are purchased, sold or moved, their details must also be entered on the NLIS database. This is the duty of the purchaser. Details can be found here:

https://www.nlis.com.au/NLISDocuments/Livestock%20movements%20(Aug%2014).pdf

PigPass

PigPass was developed to track the movement of live pigs throughout Australia and to help protect the Australian Pork Industry. It is essential to have PigPass whether you have one or many pigs or a pet mini pig.

Mandatory reporting of all pig movements will be introduced in all States and Territories as from February 1st, 2018.

All information relating to PigPass can be found here:

https://pigpass.australianpork.com.au/faq

Poultry

The information for the National Farm Biosecurity Manual for (Commercial) Poultry Production can be found here:

https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/avian-influenza/commercial/poultry_biosecurity_manual

Poultry: Property Identification Codes (PICs) and Local Government Regulations

The non-commercial keeping of poultry requires compliance with relevant State and Territory PIC arrangements, as well as with local government regulations including regulations on numbers that can be kept and the keeping of roosters. The Rare Breeds Trust of Australia does not itself issue permits for the keeping of poultry (rare or not rare).

Notifiable Diseases

Early recognition and reporting of serious and exotic diseases is one of the major factors influencing the chance of controlling the disease and halting its spread. Here is the list of notifiable diseases for each State:

https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/notifiable

Codes of Practice for Animal Welfare

The Codes of Practice for the welfare of Livestock can be found on the following page. Go to the main page and then to the species of animal for which you are searching.....

http://www.animalwelfarestandards.net.au/

RARE BREEDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA