Biosecurity Queensland’s Panama TR4 Program has developed new wash-down bay designs to help banana growers further protect their farms against Panama disease tropical race 4.
Panama TR4 acting program leader, Rhiannon Evans said the two new designs were a guide to best practice and could be easily integrated into current farming practices, however every situation was different.
“Growers should take into consideration the requirements for their individual properties and tailor a wash-down facility to suit. In some cases a wash-down may not be practical, and restricting vehicle access or redirecting traffic through a farm zoning system may be a better solution,” Ms Evans said.
“The two designs cater for a clean access point and a dirty access point, and were produced after extensive research and consultation with industry, government and stakeholders.
“The designs were developed based on a number of principles, which included how easy the wash-down bays were to implement into current farming practices, safety, cost, practicality, flexibility and compliance with both biosecurity standards and environmental legislation.”
Ms Evans said both wash-down designs include options for growers that suit their needs and budget.
“There are many property owners who have already introduced innovative and effective biosecurity procedures on their farms at a nominal cost,” she said.
“Ultimately, it’s about growers implementing some level of biosecurity that will protect them from the disease. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all.”
A clean access point is defined as having a sealed road free from mud or dirt that is separated from the farm area via a fence or barrier. Vehicles that use a clean access point should be visually free from any dirt or organic material. A covered, automated drive-through disinfection spray system was found to be the most efficient method to disinfect vehicles at a clean access point.
A dirty access point caters for high-risk vehicles that are exposed to soil, mud and organic matter. This manual wash-down facility consists of a concrete pad with a roof and walls to mitigate dilution from rainfall and aerosol spray contamination from overspray. Manual cleaning followed by a rinse then disinfection is required at the dirty access point. A final rinse is optional. A waste-water disposal system is included to contain runoff and a high pressure, low volume hose is advised to reduce water usage.