Biosecurity has been front of mind for a lot of Australians in recent weeks and months, given the biosecurity outbreaks in this country, including the varroa mite, as well as the ominous threat of foot and mouth disease (FMD) and lumpy skin disease (LSD) just beyond our border.
For many of us in rural, regional, and remote communities and specifically those managing a farming enterprise, the incursions and the threat of incursions have a direct economic and emotional impact.
It is vital that government, community, and industry leaders recognise this, and provide honest, respectful, and informed commentary based on the advice of experts and listen and respond to the experience of those directly impacted.
It is important to remember, however, that despite growing concern over outbreaks in Indonesia, at this time, Australia has had no recorded cases of FMD or LSD.
To keep it that way, we all need to recognise that biosecurity is a shared endeavour, and everyone needs to know and understand the part they play or can play to ensure we are all adequately protected.
Those of us who live and work on farms know that regardless of the size of our farming enterprise, the first step towards reducing risk is investing in and implementing a biosecurity plan that addresses the specific risks of that enterprise.
It is the day-to-day practices that can reduce the impact of serious animal diseases by ensuring suspected animal diseases are reported quickly for containment and eradication.
The farm is just one part of what is a complex biosecurity system based on this idea of "shared responsibility".
Producers essentially share responsibility with governments, industry bodies, exporters and importers, miners, tourists, researchers, and the broader community to protect their enterprise, with each taking specific roles and responsibilities.
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The recently released National Biosecurity Strategy 2022-2032 reinforces the importance of shared responsibility, defines the current and future system requirements, priority areas for action and sets the approach and roles of all Australians to work together.
At a state level, the NSW government has just released and is calling for feedback on a draft NSW Biosecurity and Food Safety Strategy 2022-2030 that aims to provide a "...clear vision for biosecurity and food safety in NSW; map strategy objectives for government, industry, and the community and outline key activities to guide decision-making for farmers."
It is essential that we all provide feedback to this strategy to ensure it is informed by expert evidence, aligns with the national strategy, reflects the practical experience of producers, and clearly documents the practical responses required to address the risks we face today and opportunities for improvement to deal with risks that might come our way in the future.
One of the issues that remains less transparent across the system is exactly how the concept of "shared responsibility" plays out in funding Australia's biosecurity responses. Currently, many users of the biosecurity system do make a financial contribution to keeping Australia safe, including primary producers, some industries and even travellers.
The previous government explored and dropped the introduction of a container levy after lobbying from vested interests.
In his National Rural Press Club address, Minister Watt indicated he had "begun work to deliver something industry has called for many years - long-term, sustainable biosecurity funding."
Hopefully, that "shared responsibility" will be inclusive of words, deeds, and dollars.
- Joy Beames is the CWA of NSW president
