Managing Biosecurity in Victoria
Biosecurity is fundamental to the health, well-being and prosperity of all Victorians. Pests and diseases can threaten our agricultural sector, environment, animal industries and potentially human health.
Victoria has a strong record of identifying and managing biosecurity risks but our natural environment and primary industries do face new and emerging pest and disease threats. These bring new challenges and require new solutions.
A key focus for the department is preventing a biosecurity emergency, for example a serious animal disease, affecting Victoria and Australia. The department works with jurisdictional partners across the country to ensure our agricultural industries can continue to operate and trade without any debilitating pest and disease outbreaks.
A great resource for basic biosecurity information is Farm Biosecurity. This website is provided by our national partners Plant Health Australia and Animal Health Australia.
In Victoria there are systems and process in place to help protect both the animal and plant industries. Property identification codes help to identify where there are crops and livestock, this information can be key in preventing or limiting an outbreak of a disease. Similarly the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) provides vital information on the movement of livestock and is a key disease prevention measure available to the animal industries.
Horses also present certain risks from a biosecurity perspective. Visit the Biosecurity for horses section to learn more.
Wrong use of agricultural or veterinary chemicals can damage or contaminate land, animals, plants or produce. The Chemical Use section has a range of information to help landholders meet their obligations.
