SA steps up biosecurity in bid to keep $80b threat at bay

South Australia has added an extra layer of defence against animal disease and increased supply chain protection within its borders.

Biosecurity response trailers that will be deployed if a high-risk animal disease is detected on a property are being rolled out across the state.

The units are part of the SA government’s $6.8-million commitment to prepare for and respond to possible disease outbreaks.

They are primarily intended to deal with exotic diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, but the trailers can also be used to respond to other livestock diseases.

Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said it was important to ensure the industry was as protected as possible.

“The impacts if there was an outbreak of certain emergency animal diseases on the community would be huge,” she said.

“We would be looking at 8,000 jobs here in South Australia and up to an $80-billion impact nationwide.

“For consumers, the cost and availability of meat could also be really heavily impacted.”

Packed and ready to go

The three trailers will be based in Clare, Murray Bridge and Struan.

Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Elise Spark said they would be set up to allow for various scenarios.

“All of the trailers are kitted out with a range of equipment and supplies for sampling and diagnostics and also for personal protection and decontamination — so, cleaning and disinfecting,” she said.

“There is also a range of equipment for quarantining a property and also controlling access on and off of a property.”

The trailers can also be used as staging areas or command posts.

Dr Spark said it was important for livestock producers to know how to identify livestock diseases.

“While these trailers are really important for rapid response, early detection is critical, and we certainly rely on producers for early detection,” she said.

“I would encourage producers who know their stock really well to make sure if anything …  is noticed that they report those signs as soon as possible.”

Producers welcome new resource

Livestock SA chief executive Travis Tobin said the trailers were an essential component for safeguarding the wellbeing of animals, protecting economic interests and maintaining the overall resilience of the livestock sector.

“We were really focused about 18 months ago when we had notifications of lumpy skin disease and foot-and-mouth disease in Indonesia,” he said.

“What it means for the livestock industry is if there was a detection of certain diseases we would lose access to markets overnight.

“Over 70 per cent of beef and sheep meat is exported and over 90 per cent of goat meat and wool is exported so you can imagine with losing those markets it would cripple us.”

Mr Tobin agreed that early intervention is key to protecting the industry.

“The secret is really early detection, containment, eradication and proof of freedom so we can get back to normal trading conditions as soon as possible,” he said.

“That is the benefit of these mobile units — we can then mobilise things regionally and localise the issue.”