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Biosecurity

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Overview

Biosecurity is the protection of people, animals and the environment from infectious disease, pests and other biological threats. ​A biosecurity emergency could be a small incident that is not contagious, or it could be of a larger-scale involving a contagious disease or pest that is likely to spread rapidly.

The following information is more appropriate for a larger biosecurity incident.

Biosecurity - Overview

Before

Practise good biosecurity on your property as p​art of your normal management.

Good biosecurity practices include:

For livestock:

  • If you buy in or agist livestock, insist on an animal health statement before they arrive on your property.
  • Keep newly arrived animals isolated from existing livestock, ideally for two weeks, and watch closely for any signs of disease. 
  • Register your property for a Property Identification Code (PIC) with Department of Parks, Primary Industries, Water and the Environment (DPIPWE). A PIC is required for cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and recommended for alpacas and horses.
  • Ensure all your animals are tagged with an approved device (ie NLIS device for cattle, sheep and goats, and tattoo for pigs). For more information, see DPIPWE's Livestock Identification page.
  • Inspect your animals frequently and report any suspected emergency animal disease promptly to DPIPWE or to your vet. If in doubt, report it.
  • Never feed swill to pigs or anything containing meat or meat product to ruminants.
  • Register for DPIPWE biosecurity advisories so you keep up-to-date with any disease threats. You can register on the DPIPWE biosecurity website.

For horticultural or broadacre cropping properties:

  • Register your property on the DPIPWE database for a Property Identification Code (PIC).
  • If you buy in seed or plants, do so only from a supplier you know practices good biosecurity.
  • Inspect your orchard/crop/garden frequently and report any suspect emergency pest or disease promptly to DPIPWE. If in doubt, report anyway.
  • Register to get DPIPWE biosecurity advisories so you keep up to date with any pest or disease threats. You can self-register on the DPIPWE biosecurity website.
Advice before a biosecurity incident

During

  • If your property is quarantined, adhere to the quarantine conditions rigidly. If you experience major problems in doing so, contact the Emergency Response Centre for advice.
  • Abide by any livestock standstill order that is imposed. In the first few days of a major outbreak, the standstill might apply to a whole state or to the whole country.
  • Once a standstill is lifted or eased, livestock movements are typically allowed by permit only. Contact the Emergency Response Centre for a permit.
  • Keep yourself informed of developments in the outbreak by frequently checking the TasALERT website, checking your emails for the latest advisories and/or tuning into the local ABC for regular updates.
Advice during a biosecurity incident

After

  • If your property has been quarantined, in most cases that quarantine order will not be lifted until the property has been decontaminated. That process may include a period of surveillance and testing to determine that the property is now free of the disease or pest. It is important you adhere to any quarantine conditions applied for this period.
  • Recovery programs will be tailored to the scale and nature of the outbreak. Keep yourself up-to-date with what’s available via the TasALERT or DPIPWE websites.
Advice after a biosecurity incident

Hazards