Managing farm biosecurity after a bushfire
Managing farm biosecurity following a fire is a balance of caring for livestock and
paddocks while limiting the introduction of new pests, diseases or weeds into the flock and
onto the property.
Minimising biosecurity risks for livestock producers
Fires create a feed shortage for affected livestock. To resolve this, you may buy in or
accept donated feed, or you may agist your animals on another property. Both of these
actions pose a biosecurity risk of introducing pests, diseases and weeds to your animals
and your property.
To minimise the risk, take the following steps:
1. Assess the risk of bought or donated feed
Ask the vendor/donor for a commodity vendor declaration. This will outline any chemical
treatments and weed/toxicity risks in the feed. This means that you will be able to observe
any withholding periods for chemical treatments to avoid any issues with chemical
residues in stock.
Also ask if the feed has been tested for annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT) to reduce the risk
of ARGT poisoning.
Feed for cattle, sheep, goats and other ruminants must also be free of any animal matter
(known as ‘restricted animal material’)
If you are selling or donating feed to other stock owners, you can obtain commodity vendor
declarations from the Meat and Livestock Australia website.
Inspect the stock feed for visible signs of pests and weeds. To minimise the chances of a
pest or weed establishing if it is present, feed out in paddocks in the same place each time
and inspect the area for new weeds or pests on a regular basis. This will confine any
problems to a defined area, making it easier to eradicate.
2. Assess the biosecurity status of agistment properties
Ask the agisting property owner to provide written assurances that:
 agistment paddock fences are secure against strays
 potential lead sources such as farm dumps are securely fenced off and that old
batteries or other chemical residue risks are not present in agistment paddocks
 ovine Johne’s disease is not present on the property
 toxic plants are not present in agistment paddocks
 herbicide-resistant weeds are not present on the property
 check quality and quantity of water is suitable for the type of livestock.
Also ask the owner for a written record of any recent paddock chemical treatments so that
you can comply with withholding periods and vendor declaration requirements.
Additional animal welfare measures may be required if stock to be agisted have suffered
injury from the fire. They will need to be checked regularly either by the owner or the
agistee. Put in writing who is responsible for this and who is responsible for calling a vet
and any associated fees.
For more information about animal welfare and biosecurity management of agistment after
a fire, see the DAFWA factsheet Agisting livestock that a fire has affected.
3. Maintain stock traceability by recording stock movements
Human and animal welfare are the first priorities following a fire but as soon as practicable,
owners should ensure that any stock movements off or onto the property are recorded.
WA exports about 80% of its livestock and livestock products and our trading partners
require traceability of livestock movement. Producers should ensure when animals move
from the home property to agistment and return from agistment that they are accompanied
by a valid waybill and that they record the movements on the National Livestock
Identification System (NLIS) database.
Producers can obtain help to record stock movements by contacting DAFWA’s sheep
NLIS helpdesk on +61 (0)8 9363 4150 or cattle NLIS helpdesk on +61 (0)8 9780 6222.
4. Manage biosecurity of stock returning from agistment
When stock return to your property from agistment, hold them in a separate isolation
paddock for at least a week to assess their health status before returning them to the
general livestock paddocks. Ideally the isolation paddock should be located close to the
homestead so stock can be regularly inspected and any emerging weeds brought home
with returning stock can be identified and controlled.
It is also good policy to give stock a quarantine drench and a treatment for lice when
returning to your property.
For more information on livestock biosecurity:
Livestock Biosecurity contacts across WA are available on the DAFWA website – search
‘Livestock Biosecurity’ on agric.wa.gov.au to find your nearest field veterinary officer.
For help recording stock movements:
 DAFWA sheep NLIS helpdesk: +61 (0)8 9363 4150
 DAFWA cattle NLIS helpdesk on +61 (0)8 9780 6222.
Livestock biosecurity checklists and plans are available from the Farm Biosecurity website
Livestock Biosecurity Network WA contact: Carey Hobson email chobson@lbn.org.au
Managing farm biosecurity following a fire
December 2015
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Minimising biosecurity risks for grain growers
Growers who bring grain or feed onto their property will need to put in place a plan to
minimise any chance of introducing pests, diseases and weeds into their crops.
To minimise the risk, take the following steps:
1. Assess the risk of bought-in feed and seed
When buying in feed, ensure you know the biosecurity status of the property it comes from
and inspect the feed for pests and weeds before feeding out.
To minimise the chances of a pest or weed establishing if it is present, feed out in
paddocks in the same place each time and inspect the area for new weeds or pests on a
regular basis. This will confine any problems to a defined area, making it easier to
eradicate.
Any purchased seed should be certified free from pests and weed seeds.
2. Minimise biosecurity risks from borrowed machinery
If borrowing machinery as yours has been destroyed:
 inspect the machinery before bringing it onto the farm
 clean out and/or wash down the machinery either before coming onto the farm or
clean out at a site away from future grain production areas.
3. Minimise biosecurity risks from contractors/volunteers
If there are people coming in to assist farmers in the area with replacing fences, buildings
and sheds, ask them to clean vehicles and machinery prior to coming to help. Ideally, have
contractors and volunteers park in a designated parking area and use existing farm
transport if available. Ideally this message needs to be communicated to the organisers of
volunteers.
Utility providers such as power and water providers likewise should check and clean
vehicles and machinery before going onto farms to repair infrastructure.
Keep a register of all vehicles and people entering the farm.
For more information on grains biosecurity:
Plant Health Australia/DAFWA: Jeff Russell, jeff.russell@agric.wa.gov.au.
Factsheets on grains biosecurity are also available on the Plant Health Australia and Farm
Biosecurity websites.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Agriculture and Food and the State of
Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise
arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it.
© Western Australian Agriculture Authority 2015
Managing farm biosecurity following a fire
December 2015
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