We’re seeing the scale a biosecurity challenge can pose with coronavirus.
It’s not easy to detect and requires significant co-ordination across and within countries to respond.
Mycoplasma bovis poses similar challenges with detection and it has tested New Zealand’s biosecurity system all along the chain. It has had a significant impact on our rural communities and has required both farmers and organisations working with farmers to step up their biosecurity awareness and practices.
The economic impact of disease outbreaks can be devastating with African swine fever recently wiping out 65% of China’s pork herd. An outbreak of foot and mouth disease would essentially cripple our livestock sector, which contributes $28b to our GDP.
Biosecurity will continue to be a critical issue for NZ. As an island, we have opportunities to tackle biosecurity risks many landlocked countries don’t have.
Our rural communities have faced diseases such as enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) and tuberculosis (TB) and despite challenges they have persevered and gained ground.
TB has been here for over 100 years. Actively managed since the 1950s, TB had a resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s. By 1994 almost 1700 herds were affected. Turning that around took hard work from farmers, with support from the government, until by 2019 only 26 herds were affected.
The TB fight is far from over as we’ve recently seen but farmers continue to share their biosecurity knowledge with the next farming generation through regional committees.
EBL, a virus that can lead to cancer in cattle, was successfully eradicated here in 2008. That occurred 11 years after it was detected and the eradication followed a successful milk screening programme.
Finding, containing and controlling biosecurity threats isn’t easy. They are usually difficult to detect, take a significant amount of time to tackle and setbacks are common along the way.
Over the past 18 months DairyNZ has been working with farmers, Beef + Lamb and the wider community through our OnFarm Biosecurity programme to address how we can collectively take responsibility and respond to these threats.
We’ve seen farmers becoming increasingly biosecurity conscious with many treating their farms as an island with strong borders.
Improved biosecurity measures such as secure fencing, vaccination against infectious diseases and visitor procedures to clean boots and equipment have been put in place. Stock movements are planned and tracked and regional farmer action groups champion biosecurity in the community.
Given the right tools and support most farmers will take the right steps to protect their livelihood. But, as with any community, there are always some who let the rest of the team down. Responsibility for on-farm biosecurity also goes well beyond the farmer and it will be important the upcoming Biosecurity Act review recognises that.
To be successful the whole community needs to be aware of what others are doing and the risks they could pose to on-farm biosecurity. That helps identify those who need more support and to call out those who are actively flouting the rules.
Changing long-standing behaviour is a process rather than an overnight event.
Farmers, government, transporters, vets and others have worked together over the past year to support ongoing improvements to Nait. The Government recently recognised having industry and farmers at the table with it has fundamentally improved the M bovis programme and shown the way forward for future biosecurity management.
Thanks to the commitment of many farmers across the country the farming community has a richer knowledge of biosecurity threats and how to manage them.
But, ultimately, we can protect ourselves only if we work together to strengthen the weak links in our defence.
It takes perseverance and teamwork to overcome biosecurity threats and we all have a part to play to protect our precious vegetation, animals and people.
Farmers must plan safe stock movements on moving day.
Moving day is a high-risk biosecurity event – if we don’t all take steps to reduce risk.
With moving day only a few weeks away now’s a great time to plan how you can keep your stock and our national herd safe for the future.
Here are four simple steps to do it.
Trace – ensure all stock movements are tagged and registered in Nait.
Screen – check stock and question their history before you buy them.
Border control – check all entries and exits on farm are secure. They can be pathways for biosecurity threats to access your property.
Defence lines – check and maintain secure boundary fences.
MORE:
For detailed advice on protecting your farm, practical tools and guidance visit www.dairynz.co.nz/ biosecurity
Your local OSPRI committee can also provide valuable support and tips. For information visit ospri.co.nz
